Dark Horizon
by ScruffyStarWarsFan
Summary: Set in 2289, Hikaru Sulu, captain of the USS Excelsior, is assigned to perform a simple mission in the Korvat system. But shortly before departure, he picks up three passengers; a young ambassador named Curzon Dax, a renowned vulcan diplomat named Sybok, and a young Starfleet lieutenant named Emelie Marcus-Kirk. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**DARK HORIZON**

Hikaru Sulu woke up as the alarm sounded. 06:00; it was time to get out of bed. He sat himself up, took a moment to gather his thoughts after a good nights rest and then got out of bed. He had the luxuary of not sharing his quarters with anyone else in the crew, so he casually walked about as he performed his morning routine. Eventually, he began applying his uniform, beginning with black socks, black trousers, black boots that were polished to a shine and a black t-shirt with Starfleets insignia on his left chest, the insignia having a gray tone of color.

As he pulled out a yellow shirt from the closet, he took a moment to reflect over a couple of pictures hanging on his wall; one depicted himself and his closest friends from the USS Enterprise, men and women he served with for nearly twenty years. The other was of his daughter, Demora, wearing the all red cadet uniform of Starfleet Academy; he remembered that day with great pride. The third picture seemed to wash away the joy in him as he looked at the picture of his husband and he sighed as he took it down from the wall. Holding it in his hands, he sighed and placed it on the desk, leaving it behind.

The yellow shirt was put on, with Starfleets insignia stitched onto the chest. A zipper running from chest to collar was pulled all the way up, securing the stiff collar around his neck and throat, revealing four silver-bars. Looking himself in the mirror, he smiled as he was reminded how his commanding officer on the Enterprise had always neglected the uniform-jacket, always walking around in the Department-shirt. Against regulations, but more comfortable, as the captain used to say.

Sulu shook his head, smile still on his lips, as he retrieved the uniform-jacket and pulled it on; gray with two yellow ribbons at the end of each sleeve, Starfleet insignia a metallic pin attached to his left chest, right arm carried the patch of the United Federation of Planets, left arm wore the patch of the ship he was serving on; the NCC-2000 U.S.S. Excelsior-A. Buttoning the jacket along his right-hand side, the cut of the overlapping layer created a distinct V-shape around his neck, making it easy to determine the color of his Department-shirt.

Yellow shirt and yellow ribbons; Command Department of Starfleet. Two yellow ribbons; senior officer. Four silver bars on the collar; the rank of captain.

Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Excelsior secured the utility-belt around his waist, belt-buckle in the shape of the Starfleet insignia, gave the jacket a tug so it would fit him correctly and then left his living-quarters.

 **XXX XXX**

"Korvat."

The holographic projection showed a binary solar-system, complete with two F-class stars and nine planets. Hikaru Sulu, together with his executive officer, a brown-haired human woman in her late forties by the name of Nathalie Gars, sat in a briefing-room together with two other high ranking Starfleet officers. The only admiral in the room continued where she had left off.

"Korvat Four to be more precise" admiral Shoreh Paris said, her voice and appearance clearly indicating her iranian heritage. "A key system in the Hromi sector, a vital strategic sector in the neutral region of space known as the Badlands. The only colony in the Korvat system is located on Korvat Four, namely Korvat City; a mining colony that survives through various trade-deals with the Ferengi Alliance."

Wearing the gray uniform of Starfleet over the green Department-colors of Starfleet Intelligence, was a major of roughly the same age as captain Sulu. Major Nyota U'hura of Starfleet Intelligence spoke next. "The cardassians have, for the past couple of years, expanded into the Badlands and claimed fourteen systems so far. It is no secret, that should they take Korvat, they then would control not only the Hromi sector, but also the region known as the Badlands."

"How does this affect the Federation?" commander Gars wondered, expressing her thoughts. "If the cardassians are going into the Badlands, it is taking them closer to the Klingon Empire. Wouldn't the Federation see this as an opportunity to be given a chance to gain diplomatic favor with both parties as hostilities between Kronos and Cardassia increases?"

"Usually" U'hura nodded, "Yes. But as of two months ago, the Badlands has become a region of interest for both Starfleet and the Federation."

Sulu did not like it. "Dilithium?" he inquired, knowing that the rare and extremely valuable fuel was one of few things that made Starfleet even consider getting involved with foreign power-struggles.

"No, not this time" the admiral said. "Two months ago, the USS Farragut surveyed an uncharted planet twelve lightyears from Korvat. Captain Aster was thrilled when he reported that he had discovered a pre-warp civilization, a thriving renaissance-era culture. After a week of surveillance, careful investigation and maintaining the principles of the Prime Directive, the USS Farragut reported back the natives name for their world… Bajor."

"A prime target for the growing Cardassian Empire" U'hura explained, even if the information was self-evident. "If the cardassians discover Bajor, the bajorans will be enslaved and the planet stripped of its resources in a matter of decades. The Federation intends to prevent this by any means necessary, short of starting a war with Cardassia. Bajor, as a planet, would stand no chance against the cardassian military. Without us, it is only a matter of time before they become annexed by the Cardassian Empire."

"So how does Korvat fit in?" Gars wondered.

Admiral Paris deactivated the hologram depicting the binary system. "Your mission is to negotiate with the leaders of Korvat City and allow Starfleet to set up a Deep Space station in the Korvat system. We need a base of operations in the region, supported by local authorities. When we have that, the cardassians will not expand their territory as fervently and be more cautious as they roam the Badlands. It will give us time to establish ourselves in the Bajor system, set up science-outposts in orbit and establish facilities on the surface of the planet."

Sulu was next to voice a question. "How do we persuade the colonists on Korvat? I suspect we need to sweeten the deal if they are to agree to have a constant Starfleet presence in their system."

U'hura nodded at the question. "You are correct, captain. Korvat is a strategic system and governments that have shown interest in the colony include the cardassians, ferengi, the orions and even the klingons. The offer from the Federation includes equipment for a state of the art hospital. The USS Excelsior will deliver the first two hundred crates of medical supplies to the colonists. This charitable act, we hope, will make local leaders more agreeable to Federation intentions. Deliver the supplies, captain, and convince the natives to allow us to build Deep Space Nine in their system."

"Should you fail, captain" admiral Paris cut in, "it is only a matter of time before the cardassians invades Bajor and crushes an entire civilization."

 **XXX XXX**

Leaving the briefing, the admiral and the commander went to continue with their duties. Remaining for a moment in the corridor of Starfleets regional headquarters, Hikaru Sulu and Nyota U'hura waited until they were alone, apart from Starfleet staff moving in the hallways on business.

"Why me?" Sulu said. "The Excelsior is needed along the klingon neutral zone. Last week we spotted eight probable incursions by cloaked klingon vessels in neutral space. They are probing us for a raid, and when the klingons attack the Excelsior has to be there."

"I'm sorry, Hikaru" the Starfleet Intelligence officer said with a heavy sigh. "The order comes directly from colonel West. Sending the Excelsior to Korvat is a clear indication to the cardassians, and all the others, that the Federation has no intention of allowing any imperial expansion free reign in the Badlands. If colonies are afraid of cardassians or klingons, the Federation will help them. It is an important mission, Hikaru; it is why Starfleet chose you and your crew."

They started walking down the corridor, windows allowing for an impressive view of Yorktown-station, the marvel of the Federation and envy of all other civilizations.

"I understand the worries" Sulu then said. "I really do. The thought of the cardassians conquering a pre-warp civilization… It sickens me, to be honest. I understand why they need to be stopped. But damn it, Bajor is not a member of the Federation, and the planets and colonies on our side of the klingon neutral zone are. They are citizens of the Federation and when you send the Excelsior to the other side of the galaxy, you place their lives at risk. It is only a matter of time before a klingon Bird-of-Prey makes it through undetected and then…"

"Hikaru, please" U'hura said, a hint of seriousness in her tone.

Sulu sighed, they both did, and the captain stopped by a window and watched civilian life unfold in the massive starbase.

U'hura, head lowered for a moment, then looked up at her old friend. "Hikaru, you have to let it go" she then said, a touch of grief in her eyes. "Jim, Scotty… Spock." As the last name was uttered a tear fell from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. Clearing her throat, she regain her wits and adjusted her uniform to clear her mind. "It was four years ago, Hikaru. We have to move on. It's what they would have wanted."

Hikaru Sulu turned to face his old friend from the USS Enterprise, the ship they had served on together for close to two decades, before fate had intervened. Captain Hikaru Sulu, in the end, nodded and major Nyota U'hura placed her arm around him and they both embraced for comfort.

 **XXX XXX**

Walking through the corridors of the ship, crewmembers saluted or simply acknowledged their captain, and Sulu returned the gesture. It was somewhat of a relief as he entered the senior officers messhall, where breakfast was being served. Staff was clearing the table from plates and empty glasses as Sulu say himself down at the head of the table. Within a minute, a crewman acting waiter placed a number of items in front of the captain. As Sulu began eating his breakfast, another officer entered the room and joined the captain. Gray hair and beard, a couple of years over sixty, the man looked quite distinguished. Lieutenant Commander Augustus Eckenwald placed his uniform-jacket over the chair to his left as he sat down, having his breakfast in his boy-blue Department-shirt, the color indicating he was an officer of Starfleet Medical.

"So, we should be departing today?" the ships chief medical officer asked before impaling a piece of sausage with his fork.

Sulu nodded. "Yes, around noon according to schedule."

"Korvat" the doctor said, shaking his head. "That's a hornets nest. Klingons, cardassians, nausicaan pirates and ferengi privateers. You really think we can do any good over there?"

Sulu drank some milk and placed the glass on the table before giving an answer. "Maybe. When the other factions see that the Federation takes an interest in Korvat, they will perhaps back off. By investing in these peoples welfare, with these medical supplies, the Federation might just gain enough leverage to get a permanent presence in the region."

"You don't sound convinced" Eckenwald pointed out.

Sulu smiled and then shook his head. "Medical equipment does not scare klingons."

Eckenwald chuckled. "No, that it does not."

They continued their breakfast, and as they did, the chief medical officer could not help noticing the serious features on his captains face.

"Sulu?" the doctor said. "Is something wrong? I can tell you're thinking about something."

Hikaru swallowed some breakfast with a sip of milk, and then sighed. "I signed the divorce-papers last night."

Eckenwald placed knife and fork on the table. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I… I don't know what to say."

"It's alright, doctor" the captain said with a faint smile. "There's no point arguing with him anymore. Last night was a total disaster. It wont accomplish anything. I spend ninety percent of my life on this ship, with this crew. He spends his time here on Yorktown, lightyears away for the most part of the year. Subspace is a poor substitute for physical contact." It was clear that Sulu had trouble talking about it.

"If there's anything I can do" Eckenwald said, not sure what that could be at this moment.

"Don't label me unfit for service will do just fine" Sulu managed to joke and managed to get a laugh from the doctor. "Sad as my personal life is at the moment… I am still fit to captain this ship."

Eckenwald allowed himself to smile. "You know where to find me."

 **XXX XXX**

Captain Hikaru Sulu went through the cargo-manifest, signing the datapad with his thumbprint as he went. A boring, yet required, part of being the commanding officer of a Starfleet vessel. Two hundred crates of medical supplies, destined for neutral space and the single colony found in the Korvat system. The seasoned captained sighed; the USS Excelsior, an Excelsior class cruiser, the most advanced ship in the fleet, was to be used as a political tool. Sulu would much rather be back on patrol along the Klingon Neutral Zone, safeguarding Federation colonies from klingon marauders.

 _Stardate 8827.6, captains personal log._ _The Excelsior has been pulled from patrol-duty by order of Starfleet to instead fill in as a cargo-hauler, delivering medical equipment to the Korvat colony, found in neutral space. The mission is not as straight-forward as it might have first appeared, as both the cardassians and the klingons have shown an interest in the system, due to its strategical position in otherwise uncontested regions of space. To the klingons, establishing a permanent presence in the Korvat system would give them another angle of attack against the Federation, a dire prospect to say the least. To the cardassians, it would give them a perfect staging ground for further expansion, endangering a planet recently surveyed from orbit by Starfleet by the name of Bajor; the planet home to a pre-warp civilization that would be a prime target for cardassian conquest. The orders given myself and my crew are simple; win the hearts and minds of Korvats leaders to ensure that both cardassians and klingons think twice about securing the system for their own needs. While this operation might very well make the cardassians hesitant, something tells me it will do little to impress the Klingon Empire._

Klingons. Just thinking about them made Sulu frown. Had it been four years? The thought made Hikaru pause and lower the datapad for a moment. Where had the time gone? Four years since a klingon warlord named Kruge had tried to obtain the Genesis Device. Four years since the death of Sulus former comrades; Admiral Kirk, Captain Spock and Commander Scott. Good friends, lost to the pages of history. A dire incident that all but erupted into war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. And for the past four years since, things had slowly escalated until the brink; the cup could hold not one drop more.

"Captain."

Sulu was woken from his thoughts and turned to face his executive officer, commander Nathalie Gars. Her gray Starfleet uniform pristine as always, as was her yellow Department-shirt.

"Yes, Nathalie?"

"Sir, a shuttle has requested to dock. Starfleet Intelligence. Priority clearance."

Sulu quirked an eyebrow. This was unorthodox.

 **XXX XXX**

The shuttle entered the shuttle-bay through the shimmering blue forcefield that kept space at bay. Captain Sulu stood waiting together with his executive officer, as well as the Excelsiors chief of security; Lieutenant Commander Gambon, a benzite, easily recognized as a species with a breathing apparatus attached to their noses, tubes connected to a belt-carried container, and the species itself being feline-reptilian. His brown Department-shirt indicated to all that he was of Starfleet Security.

The shuttle settled down and allowed three passengers to disembark. The young lieutenant from Starfleet Intelligence was easily recognized, with the green shirt under the grey uniform, with a single green ribbon on either sleeve. Sulu could not help but find the young human female oddly familiar; it was strange, since she could not be a year over twenty-five, and that short blonde hair made her quite recognizable in a crowd. Joining the lieutenant was a middle-aged vulcan and a young trill, both male and in civilian clothing, the trill as young as the human Starfleet officer. The vulcan stood out however, as his hair was shoulder-length and poorly combed backwards, and a thick beard covered his face; in fact, Sulu did not at first realize it was a vulcan, until he took note of the mans ears and eyebrows.

"Captain" the blonde woman in Starfleet uniform said. "Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk, requesting to come aboard, sir."

The hand was extended and Sulu hesitated for a brief moment to grasp it. As he did, his face was split in a smile.

"Emelie?" he said, astonished and happy. "I haven't seen you in ten years."

"I assure you captain" the young lieutenant smiled, "I am more thrilled about this reunion than you are."

Hikaru nodded, it was an unexpected treat to so suddenly run into the daughter of captain James T. Kirk. And a graduate of Starfleet Academy at that, now holding the rank of lieutenant. Sulu shook his head, smiling.

"So, lieutenant" the captain said, "what brings you out this far?"

"Orders, captain." Emelie Marcus-Kirk turned to the two men accompanying her. "Captain, may I introduce Federation ambassador Curzon Dax, and Vulcan diplomat, Sybok."

"Sybok?" Hikaru Sulu said the name, almost with reverence. Although he had never met the man before, the mans brother had spoken often of him.

"At last I meet the legendary Hikaru Sulu" the scruffy looking vulcan said and placed his hands on the shoulders of the Excelsiors commanding officer. "Spock always spoke highly of you."

"Pardon the interruption" the trill cut in, "but what are the odds that a game of tongo is held on this rugged bucket of bolts?"

 **XXX XXX**

Sulu placed tea in front of his guests in the captains ready-room, before settling down behind his own desk with a cup of tea of his own. Outside the viewport the stars streaked by as the ships warp-field distorted gravity and space; the Alcubierre effect as it was commonly known.

"We will reach Korvat in three days" Sulu explained, sipped his tea and then placed it on his desk. "Pardon my hesitation, but I thought I was only providing medical supplies to the colonists. Not transporting a delegation of diplomats."

"Officially, you aren't" the lieutenant said, tea held in both hands. "Officially, you are only providing medical supplies to Korvat. A clear indication to the klingons and cardassians that the Federation does not wish any imperial expansion into the Korvat system. An Excelsior class cruiser is as blunt as a gorn chewing on your arm, wouldn't you say so, captain."

"Quite" Hikaru agreed. "So what about unofficially?"

"Unofficially, captain" Sybok was next to speak, being the only other person in the small room, "we have reason to believe that romulan agents are operating in the Korvat system. Some time ago, the Vulcan High Command became aware of the romulans intentions and contacted the Federation Council. The mission, assigned to myself and lieutenant Marcus-Kirk, and ambassador Dax, is to locate these romulans and find out what they are up to. No doubt, their presence in the Korvat system is a danger to the Federation. The codename for the mission is Operation Sha-Ka-Ree."

Kirks daughter continued the reasoning. "Starfleet Intelligence fears that with tensions so high surrounding that system, the romulans might attempt to push things over the edge."

"The Vulcan High Command agrees" Sybok added.

Emelie sipped her tea before speaking. "Once we get there, we will head to the surface to complete our mission. That is the extent of your involvement, captain."

Hikaru was not entirely convinced. "Unless the romulans have other plans" he said. "And when the Excelsiors mission there is over? Are we to leave you behind?"

"Yes" the lieutenant said without hesitation. "Should you stay longer than necessary, it could draw attention to us. Something we would like to avoid."

Sulu did not like it. "You would be on your own in a potentially hostile region of space, surrounded by romulans, klingons and cardassians."

Sybok tried to ease the captain. "This is why Dax has been assigned to the mission; as a joined trill, he has the experience of six lifetimes to help him, and that is what makes him an excellent diplomat. Through his diplomacy, we will earn friends on the surface. Emelie will locate the romulans. And I, being vulcan, have a unique understanding of the romulan psyque, since we share a common ancestry. All in all, I am certain that we will succeed in our mission."

"I hope you're right, ambassador" Sulu replied, not entirely convinced that the plan was a good one.

 **XXX XXX**

Hikaru Sulu, seated in his chair on the bridge of the USS Excelsior, studied the latest reports from the various sections of the ship. Glancing over at his executive officer, he could not help but notice that she was holding a lock of her brown hair by her nose, breathing through the lock as she always did when trying to solve a mystery or problem.

"What's on your mind, Nathalie?"

Commander Gars was woken from her thoughts as the captain addressed her. "It concerns our passengers, sir."

"Well?" Sulu inquired.

"A young lieutenant from Starfleet Intelligence, an unexperienced federation ambassador and a diplomat from New Vulcan" the commander said. "On a mission to seek out romulan agents in neutral space? How does that add up?"

Sulu agreed that it did sound odd, but at the same time, "Are you telling me that the daughter of Captain Kirk is lying to me? That the brother of Spock is lying to me? Vulcans do not lie."

Gars sighed. "I don't know, sir" she had to confess. "It sounds strange, that's all."

"If I may."

Both the captain and the commander of the USS Excelsior turned to face a young vulcan ensign serving on the bridge, wearing the dark blue shirt of the Science Department under his Starfleet uniform. Sulu thought for a moment before remembering the name of the newest crewmember, having been assigned to the Excelsior only a week before.

"Please, ensign Tuvok."

The young vulcan stood up, almost at attention by his workstation. "Captain, I must point out that ever since the destruction of Vulcan, Sybok T'Rea-born has earned a reputation of being a fierce sentinel of vulcan culture and vulcan prosperity. His close relation with his future brother, also known as Spock Prime, is well documented, as is their efforts in restoring what was lost on Vulcan. If the High Command has dispatched him to oversee a mission to detect agents of the Tal Shiar, I see no reason not to trust his judgment. Sybok T'rea-born is, after all, considered as one of the most gifted vulcans of our time, exceptionally so even. It would be logical to assist him in any way we can."

"An interesting point of view, ensign" Sulu said. "But I hope you are not offended if I place greater trust in my commander and her opinion, over that of an ensign fresh out of the Academy."

"My recent graduation should not be a factor in this circumstance, captain" Tuvok replied, his face quite sincere. "The logic of the Vulcan High Command is rarely a thing that can be argued, such as Sybok being assigned to this mission and we assisting him to the best of our abilities."

"Tuvok was it?" Sulu asked, clearly his mood taking a turn for the worse.

"Yes, captain. Science officer, gamma shift."

Lieutenant commander Gambon, the benzite, decided to cut in. "Ensign, sit down and get back to work." As the chief of security joined in, the young ensign did as ordered. "Sorry captain" the benzite wearing the brown shirt of Starfleet Security said. "I will correct the ensign."

"See that you do" Commander Gars said.

 **XXX XXX**

Gathered in Emelie Marcus-Kirks assigned guest-quarters, the young lieutenant currently shared the compartment with her two partners for their mission to Korvat.

"When will your klingon friend arrive?" Sybok wondered, directing the question to the trill.

Curzon Dax, casually drinking brandy in Emelies bed with no regard to her thoughts on the matter, eyed the alcohol as he replied. "He will arrive two days after we set foot on Korvat, approximately. Do not worry, he is a man of his word."

"As all klingons are" Sybok stated. "Still, without him, we can not succeed. We rely heavily on his arrival."

"Succeed?" Emelie inquired, more thinking aloud than anything else. "You say that as if the odds are in our favor."

Sybok allowed for a slow exhale. "My brother, or should I say, my future brother, spent his last remaining years trying to solve the riddle of how to save Vulcan. The answer eluded him. However, I am certain that this is our best option."

Dax glanced at the vulcan. "It is a longshot, this plan of yours. You do realize that?"

"Yet, here you are" Sybok replied, not without confidence. Dax grinned.

"Yet, here I am" he said and swallowed a mouthful of brandy. "Because if you are right about the romulans, you green-blooded fanatic, it means we will have peace with the klingons."

"It means my father will be alive" Emelie said, no more than a whisper.

Yet, her two companions could hear her well enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Commander Nathalie Gars entered the crew-quarters and unbuttoned her officers-jacket as she did.

"Evening gentlemen" the commander said, addressing the off-duty officers already gathered.

Seven. Gars halted as she realized there was one more person than the usual six. The young trill that had accompanied lieutenant Marcus-Kirk had somehow managed to find his way to the table where the weekly game of andorian poker was being set up. The trill was studying the various cards of the deck. Gars sat down with the regular players, eying the newcomer with some suspicion.

"Basic flat hold" the andorian said, wearing the red shirt of Engineering beneath his cooling-vest, along with the rank of lieutenant commander on his collar. "Straight give with frost on the side."

Cards were dealt and received. Gars glanced at the trill, it was clear he struggled with the given hand, most likely unsure if it was good or not.

"Three open" Gars said and placed three of her eight cards, facing upwards, on the table.

"Two down" a human security officer said, placing two cards facing down.

"Holding" the andorian said, holding on to his eight cards.

"Seven open" the trill said.

Everyone watched with not a small amount of amazement as the federation ambassador placed seven of his eight cards on the table, all facing up.

"You just gave us your entire hand" Gars pointed out. "You sure you want to do that?"

The trill nodded while giving thought to his action. "Yeah, it seems like the best bet at the moment."

The andorian chief engineer chuckled. "You think your last card can win you the game?"

"I'm simply curious how far it will take me" the trill replied with a dashing smile.

Gars had to admit that the trill was something of a rogue. Arrogant for sure, but at the same time, charming.

 **XXX XXX**

Sybok was in meditation when a signal indicated a person at the door. A bit surprised, Sybok got on his feet and headed for the door and pressed the controls that allowed it to slide open. Outside stood a young vulcan, wearing the uniform of Starfleet.

"Sybok T'Rea-born, I am Tuvok T'Meni-born."

"Tuvok" the older of the two vulcans said. "How can I assist you?"

"I require no assistance" the younger vulcan admitted. "I merely found it prudent to introduce myself so that you would be aware that there is a vulcan serving onboard this vessel, as it might be important should you find yourself in need of assistance during your mission on Korvat."

"Most logical, my young friend" Sybok smiled.

A smile that had Tuvok quirk his eyebrow. "Does my action amuse you?"

"Not at all" Sybok held up a hand as a gesture of calming his fellow vulcan. "I merely appreciate it." Sybok took a step to the side. "Please, come in."

"As you wish."

The door shut behind Tuvok as the two moved to sit down by the rooms only table, a small thing capable of supporting no more than three cups. As it were, only Syboks cup of tea was currently placed on top of it. As they sat down, Sybok poured his guest some tea; doing so, he noted Tuvok inspecting him.

"My appearance?" Sybok said and placed the tea to the side. "You find it odd?"

"I was not prepared for it" Tuvok admitted. "My apologies. Logic suggests that you have taken on a disguise for the mission at hand, to not be as easily recognized as a vulcan, and indeed, not to be recognized as the famed Sybok T'rea-born of New Vulcan."

Sybok nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Your logic is sound, young Tuvok" he said and sipped his tea.

"Sybok, may I inquire?"

"You may" the diplomat of New Vulcan said and awaited the question.

"Your mission" Tuvok began. "It has caused the officers onboard to speculate. Even question the validity of your assignment. My inquiry concerns the following; should I keep you informed incase the crew decides to do something... foolish?"

Sybok appeared somewhat surprised. "To spy on them? Is that wise? You will betray their trust and alienate yourself from men and women whose trust, and affection, you will depend upon in the years to come. Is that logical?"

Tuvok did not need to think upon it for any length. "The success of your mission surely must outweigh my career in terms of benefiting the Federation."

"Without a doubt" Sybok agreed. "But I fail to see the need to destroy your future in Starfleet, when there is no need for it."

"Then logic should at least dictate that you consider it a viable option, should need arise in the coming days."

"That it does dictate, young Tuvok" Sybok said with a smile. "But for now, I think it's best if you do not sever your ties with your comrades. Those ties may prove just as crucial in the days to come, as any information concerning the conduct of your fellow officers might."

"A very logical conclusion, ambassador."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie Marcus-Kirk watched the model of a Constitution-class starship. It was hanging on the wall together with one other model; an Excelsior-class starship representing the USS Excelsior-A.

"They haven't built anything like the Enterprise since she went down."

Emelie turned to face Hikaru Sulu as the captain of the Excelsior poured himself a drink.

"One hell of a ship" Sulu added.

"My father always said it wasn't the ship that made the difference. It was her crew."

Hikaru chuckled at the comment. "Don't tell Scotty that."

Emelie smiled widely in response to Sulus remark, but as soon as she realized that the captain had turned grim, she understood why and her smile faded.

"Scotty" Hikaru Sulu said, looking into the glass of alcohol. "Spock… Kirk…" Sulu slowly turned to the daughter of James T. Kirk and sighed. "I am alive thanks to them. I wish I knew how to repay that debt."

"By taking care of this crew" Emelie said, allowing herself to smile anew.

Sulu nodded and then sat down behind his desk in the captains ready-room. "You know… When your father gave me the order to fly everyone else to safety… I almost punched him in the face. I knew I would make it out of there alive. But leaving the captain to fight a crew of klingons on his own? It could only end one way."

"As I understand it" Emelie said, "they almost made it."

Sulu nodded, eyes locked on something in the far distance of a memory. "Your father had the klingons distracted. Scotty prepped the ship and Spock made sure that the Enterprise would self-destruct. What went wrong, I don't know. But for some reason, Spock had to remain behind; he detonated the ship while he was still onboard, killing three dozen klingons in the process."

"Allowing Scotty and dad to beam out" Emelie added, almost as a reminder. "Commander Spock died a hero."

"Didn't help all that much in the end, did it?" Sulu said, sounding a bit surly. "That bastard, Kruge, didn't die with the others on Enterprise and managed to stick a knife in the captains chest."

"They died so that you could fly out of there, with the entire crew." Emelie walked over to the captain of the Excelsior and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Their sacrifice was not in vain, Hikaru. They saved the entire crew."

Sulu locked eyes with Emelie, a tear running down his cheek. "How do I repay that debt?"

Emelie sighed and gave her answer some thought. "Remember who they were" she said with a smile. "And remain true to your own crew."

"If I could" Sulu said as he wiped the tear from his face, "I would gladly trade places with your father."

Emelie paused, as if the words struck deep inside of her. "So would I."

 **XXX XXX**

"Well, that's enough for me" the trill said, smile wide on his face. "I have lost enough latinum for one evening."

"Please free to join us again" the andorian chief engineer grinned, a pile of winnings in front of him.

The trill got on his feet and left the room. As he was heading down the corridor, a voice called out for him and he stopped to turn. Commander Gars pulled on her gray jacket as she headed up to the trill.

"Curzon Dax was it?" the commander asked.

"Indeed, commander."

"Don't think I didn't figure you out back there" she said as she buttoned the uniform. "You didn't play to win. You played to go even in the end."

"No rule against that, is there?" Dax wondered.

"No" Gars had to admit. "But why play if you don't intend to win?"

"Ah" Dax theatrically said with a dashing smile that was most charming, "you see, commander, I have found that at times you will get what you want in the end, if you let your opponent gain a little when it doesn't really matter."

Gars gave the words some thought. "You intend to rob Shrav blind, don't you?"

"Not at all" Dax assured the commander. "I like your chief engineer. And after tonight, he likes me too."

"Just making friends? Is that it?"

"Believe it or not, commander" Dax shrugged his shoulders, "that is a crucial part in my line of work."

"As a Federation ambassador" Gars added, smiling and nodding. "You want friends in case your mission on Korvat goes wrong?"

Dax did not argue. "Why else would Starfleet assign an ambassador to a mission like this? After all, friends rarely try and kill you."

"I was tonight's target, wasn't I?" Gars said, unable to hold back a smile in the corner of her mouth as she realized why the trill had charmed his way into joining tonight's card-game.

"You couldn't care less about Shrav or Ferenka. You wanted to gain my attention. Right?"

Dax turned on his most handsome smile. "You should be working for Starfleet Intelligence, commander. Flying around, scanning for dust-particles in space, is a waste of Federation resources."

"So, tell me" Gars crossed her arms over her chest. "Was tonight a success?"

Dax chuckled and headed down the corridor, leaving the commander behind. "You tell me" he said aloud back over his shoulder before entering a turbolift.

 **XXX XXX**

The two rapiers, sporting a one inch wide blade each, three feet in length long, moved rapidly in order to parry and attack. The two swordsmen, wearing protective suits, tried to outwit one another with each move, with each thrust, riposte, with each sidestep and each lunge. Other crewmen working out in the gym took no notice of the swordplay, used to it by now. In the end, the two combatants silently agreed to end the duel and placed their swords to the side and removed their helmets to get themselves a drink of water.

"You're slower than before" Eckenwald said and drank a cup of water.

"You're not exactly in your prime either, doctor" Sulu countered and they both smiled.

They sat down to rest, allowing a pair of crewmen to enter the ring and exercise some boxing. As the two boxers began to dance around one another, looking for the right time to strike, the two senior officers realized that age was taking its toll on them.

"I hate getting old" Eckenwald said.

"I didn't know you had ever been young" Sulu said and earned a smile from the doctor.

The chief medical officer drank some more water. "So" he then said, "what's all this talk about us being on a clandestine mission to Korvat?"

Sulu glanced at the doctor. "Some foolish idea thought up by our friends over at Starfleet Intelligence."

Eckenwald nodded in agreement; for being a department labelled Intelligence, he had yet to see evidence that the department in question had earned that name. "Curzon Dax does have a reputation" he then said. "He likes women as much as he likes a drink, and he doesn't shy away from bragging about his achievements."

"He's young" Sulu said.

"Young?" Eckenwald chuckled at the comment. "Sulu, the man is a joined trill. He has probably lived eight lifetimes. The man is not young, he is, simply put, reckless and arrogant. No wonder he gets along with klingons; he bloody well acts like one."

Curzon Dax had, despite his young age, already made a name for himself thanks to showing unorthodox thinking when dealing with a klingon strike-force that threatened to plunder a dozen Federation colonies. But no-one could deny his success as the klingons, in the end, decided to not attack. Rumor also had it that Curzon became a close friend of the klingon warlord he had negotiated with.

"That may be" Sulu said, "but he might just be what is needed to navigate around cardassians and klingons and ferengi. In a system without Federation representation, there is no need to think, or act, like the Federation."

"I don't know, Sulu" the doctor shared honestly, "my gut tells me he is nothing but trouble. He solves political conundrums for his own glorys sake. He does it to enhance himself, not the people he is supposed to help."

Sulu shrugged his shoulders. "Well, once we drop him and the others off at Korvat, he is no longer our problem."

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon Dax was on his own by a table in the ships recreational lounge, looking out the aft-facing viewports. A few crewmembers sat by various tables, enjoying some time off, but Curzon did not feel like making new friends, or try and lure some unsuspecting fool to play a game of hazard with him. Instead, he enjoyed this quiet moment, drink in hand.

"May I join you, ambassador?"

Looking up, Dax was surprised to find commander Nathalie Gars standing next to him, wearing casual clothing.

"Please" Curzon said and offered the woman a seat by his table.

She accepted with a smile and sat down with her own drink.

"What an unexpected pleasure, commander. Or should I say Nathalie?"

"Nathalie will do fine" she smiled. "I'm off-duty after all. So…"

"So?" the trill inquired inquisitively.

"You're reputation for being a womanizer" Gars said and comfortably leaned back into her chair, "well deserved or not?"

"I suspect you'll know in an hour or two" Curzon smiled and winked.

"Doubtful" the commander said, sipped her drink and was not immune to the trills confidence. "But I suspect the next hour or two might be quite interesting."

"I'll do my best not to disappoint."

Gars decided to ask what she had wanted to ask ever since the game of cards. "Is it true that you are a personal friend of a klingon warlord?"

Dax chuckled, drank some brandy and returned the glass to the table. He then nodded. "Yes, I am. Kor, son of Rynar. His father is a noble lord and the leader of a great household."

"Noble lord?" Gars almost laughed at the notion of a klingon being noble. "No need to be formal with me, Curzon."

"On the contrary" Dax insisted. "The Federation, and Starfleet, have misjudged the klingons for years. While many of their ways seem barbaric, they hold to a creed of duty, loyalty and martial prowess that is unparalleled in the Alpha Quadrant. No one performs his duty like a klingon, and no one is as loyal to his friends as a klingon."

"And no one enjoys killing and murder like a klingon."

Dax sighed as Gars made her comment. "It is true that their society does promote combat."

"Combat?" Gars smiled with disbelief. "Killing innocents is not combat. Killing children is not combat. It is murder. They are murderers and thieves, praying on the weak. Hell, they don't even have the guts to declare war, just cross the border and attack defenseless colonies."

Dax had heard the arguments before, in fact, his entire life. It was the very reason why he had made it a personal mission of his to face the ultimate challenge; make peace with the Klingon Empire.

"I have patrolled the klingon border for three years, ambassador" Gars said, quite agitated. "I have seen what they do to civilians. The barbarism, the cruelty… the horror."

Dax sighed, knowing that it was nearly impossible for people living in the Federation to grasp the nature of the klingons, and come to terms with it. "To a klingon" he began, "being taken prisoner is the ultimate shame. It is not only a symbol of being defeated in battle, but also, being defeated on a more personal level. To be held captive is to be robbed of duty, honor and glory. When a klingon kills in battle, to them it is a sign of respect."

"Respect?!" Gars could not believe what she was hearing.

"The other option would be to take prisoners, take slaves, and that to the klingons would be to shame the enemy to a degree that would be equal to ridicule." Dax turned to look out at the streaking stars left in their wake. "The fact that they kill, is to honor us, to show that they respect us as an adversary. There is a reason why klingon labor-camps are overflowing with descendants of romulans taken captive in previous conflicts; to the klingons, it is the ultimate insult."

Gars shook her head, sipped her drink and had trouble being pleasant company. "You are a diplomat, a politician" she said, "you have the luxury of talking to klingons. Starfleet, however, we see what they do. We see who they are. When they are done talking, the killing starts."

"Believe me, Nathalie" Dax said, and using her given name, he gained her attention, "I have been around when klingons stop talking… And I am thankful I am alive to this day."


	3. Chapter 3

The USS Excelsior deactivated its warp-drive and returned to reality as the temporal bubble, that had propelled the vessel through space at speeds exceeding that of the speed of light, ruptured and forced the ship to obey the laws of physics once more.

Captain Hikaru Sulu entered the bridge of the Excelsior as the ship aligned with a planet in the distance.

"Captain" Commander Gars said as she turned to face her commanding officer, standing as she was over by the helm and the pilot. "We have arrived at Korvat as per schedule. Warp translation completed without incident."

"Thank you, commander" Sulu said and found his captains chair and sat down. "Are we alone?"

"Negative, sir" an lieutenant said, wearing the purple shirt of Operations beneath the gray jacket of Starfleet. "Eighteen other vessels in orbit of the planet. Cardassian, ferengi, gorn, andorian, terran, tellarite, orion and nausicaan."

"And one klingon vessel" Gars cut in.

As she did, Sulu, and many others on the bridge, felt tension mount.

"What do we know of the klingons?" Sulu asked.

Gars picked up a datapad and read aloud from its display. "A D7-class battle-cruiser, The IKS Gr'oth…"

"Gr'oth?!"

Gars looked at her captain. "Yes, sir. You know of it?"

Sulu nodded and leaned back into his chair as he seemed to consider his options. "Serving on the Enterprise, I ran into the Gr'oth on a dozen occasions" he eventually said. "She is captained by none other than Koloth of House Lasshar."

The name turned everyone silent on the bridge. The name was too well known to be ignored.

"The butcher of Tyronn."

Everyone turned around as the ships three passengers entered the bridge from the turbolifts. The trill, Curzon Dax, continued to speak as they made their way onto the bridge.

"The destroyer of Van Louen colony. Conqueror of Serma 6. Responsible for hijacking twelve Federation merchant-vessels, crippling Deep Space 4 and has taken credit for destroying the USS London, USS Kolana and the USS Aurora Borealis... killing all crew in the process."

Sybok was grim as he shared his thoughts on the klingon commander. "One of the greatest heroes of the Klingon Empire. A legend in his own time. It is with his support that Gorkon of House Makok holds on to the position of Chancellor in the Klingon High Council. A powerful and frightening opponent."

Gars turned to look out the main viewport of the bridge, at the distant planet where the object of their fears was hovering in orbit. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"The same as we are" Sulu said, his features stern. "Making a point. Take us in, mister Shatner."

"Yes, sir" the pilot of the ship said, a human lieutenant in his mid-thirties.

Eight minutes after entering the system, USS Excelsior entered orbit around the planet of Korvat. Located in neutral space, the colony was a haven for anyone wishing a life away from the major powers of the galaxy. The religious mingled with the criminal, the naive and the adventurous working hard to keep the dream alive. The dream of a life built by their own hands.

 **XXX XXX**

The bridge of the Gr'oth was dim lit, as was usual on all klingon vessels. On the main screen the USS Excelsior was on display, weapon-systems and weak-points indicated by the klingons battle-cruisers computers.

The ships executive officer, Korax, studied the Federation vessel with some contempt, growling as he did. A low and fierce growl from the back of his throat.

"They are conversing with the leader of the planet" the klingon communications-officer said, listening in on the subspace frequencies of the system. "They intend to deliver medical supplies to the surface, as an act of good will."

Korax snarled, almost in defiance. "They are here to challenge the Empire! We should destroy them now."

"Hold your tongue!"

Korax bowed out of respect as the ships captain entered the bridge. A dominant figure, a specimen of muscle and grace. Armor and furs covered the war-torn body, and a vicious frown was ever locked on the features of the legendary warrior. Koloth, son of Lasshar of House Lasshar. A man whose fame and prowess was honored in songs across the entire width of the Klingon Empire. As he now studied the presence of a Federation vessel, orbiting the same planet as himself, the klingon warrior sat down in his chair on the bridge.

"It is the Excelsior" Korax explained, almost snarling. "Commanded by Hikaru, son of Akira."

The battle-cruisers pilot turned around at the mention of the name. "Hikaru of Akira?"

Korax nodded. "Former pilot of the Enterprise."

The pilot of the Gr'oth stood up, almost defiantly. "Let me engage! It would be a worthy battle."

"Shut up, Braga!" Koloth roared. "Sit down!"

The command forced the pilot back to his seat. Korax was almost cautious as he approached his commander.

"Mylord, a Federation vessel in neutral space is a valid target."

Koloth stroked his goatee with clawed fingers. "Hikaru of Akira deserves a proper death" he then told his second in command. "Kruge cheated me of destroying the Enterprise, of slaying James of George. The great Kirk died a pointless death. I will restore his honor by granting Hikaru of Akira a worthy end. Honor demands it."

"You owe them nothing" Korax growled.

"Thirteen times we faced the Enterprise in battle" Koloth reminded Korax. "We owe Hikaru a glorious death."

 **XXX XXX**

Entering transporter-room 2, Sulu followed the three passengers he was delivering to the planet. Three crewmen belonging to Engineering department stood ready to operate the controls and beam the passengers down to the surface.

"Captain" Sybok said, turning to Sulu just short of stepping onto the transporter-pad. "I hope you will not mind if I suggest that ambassador Dax remains onboard. I believe, until you depart from the system, that he might provide great assistance should a problem arise with the klingons."

Sulu eyed the unorthodox-looking vulcan, not without suspicion, before offering the trill a brief glance; Curzon appearing as confident as ever.

"Why would there be a problem with the klingons?" Sulu inquired.

"Oh, come on, captain" Dax smiled. "You know the answer to that question."

"Just a precaution, captain" Sybok said. "Me and lieutenant Marcus-Kirk will scout the colony, see what we can find. But should the romulans act before we discover them, it would be wise to have an expert on the klingons at hand, wouldn't you agree, captain?"

Sulu found it difficult to counter the logic of the vulcan and offered the trill an inspecting glance from top to toe. "Very well" the Exelsiors captain eventually said. "I suppose there's no harm in it."

"Very good" Sybok said with a wide smile and stepped onto the transporter-pad.

As the young lieutenant joined the vulcan, Sulu caught her attention. "Good luck, lieutenant" the captain said, "and be careful."

Emelie smirked and sealed the zipper on her civilian leather-jacket. "As per your orders, captain" she then said and winked. "Energize."

 **XXX XXX**

Korvat colony was a busy place, despite being on the fringe of society. Perhaps that was the very reason to its success. The fringe always attracted those who could not conform to ordinary standards of society.

Materializing in an alley, Emelie Marcus-Kirk and Sybok, both in civilian clothing, had a successful beam-down from the Excelsior. Emelie, as a matter of routine, checked her phaser and then returned it once more to the holster carried below her armpit. Moving along, and even blending in thanks to Syboks radical appearance as far as vulcans were concerned, they made their way down the most busy street of the colony.

"You think Dax can keep the klingons off our backs?" Emelie asked, glancing at the vulcan as they went.

"He serves our purpose far greater on the Excelsior as it is" Sybok said. "We need to keep the klingons calm and quiet. Dax is our best chance in succeeding with just that."

"Still" Emelie was clearly uncomfortable. "When the romulans make their move, he'll be the only thing keeping the klingons from decapitating us."

"I believe the Excelsior and captain Sulu might play a part in that as well" Sybok pointed out with a faint smile. "We knew from the start this would happen. Let us press on."

That smile had always seemed so strange to Emelie. She could think of no other vulcan that smiled. She had to admit that Sybok was like no other vulcan she had ever run into before.

"Try to be positive" Sybok continued. "The presence of a klingon warship, and a Federation starship, will without a doubt force the romulans to make their move. We will find them, and when we do, we can correct all of this."

"You still believe we can pull this off?" Emelie wondered aloud. "Despite it being Koloth up there, and in command of four hundred klingon warriors?"

"Of course" Sybok said without hesitating. "The romulans are unaware of our presence. They have no plan to counter what we know. As long as Dax's klingon friend brings the torpedo I asked for, with the modifications I specified, we can not fail."

Emelie could not ignore the question any longer. "Is that even logical?"

Sybok smiled even wider this time. "Knowing what we know, it is not a matter of logic. It is simply a matter of cause and effect."

 **XXX XXX**

Evening had settled over Korvat, and at the colony's Ministry of Daily Operations, a reception was being held. Hikaru Sulu always felt uncomfortable wearing the dress-uniform of Starfleet; the lime-green color for one thing was, to his mind, horrendous. Joining him at the reception provided by the leaders of Korvat colony, were his chief science officer and his chief of security, along with four security-officers and Curzon Dax as well; the trill having insisted on joining the festivities.

"Cheer up, captain" Dax said with a smile, drink as always in hand. "This is a gathering of people you will rarely see in the same room together."

"I wonder why" Sulu sarcastically remarked.

Ferengi and cardassian merchants mingled with orion and gorn privateers, shady characters from Earth, Andoria and other Federation planets smiled and shook hands with even shadier characters from beyond Federation borders. And in the middle of this stood a small group of Starfleet officers, accompanied by a trill that enjoyed himself way too much.

"Frontier politics" Dax said with a grin. "You can forget the cloak, this is all dagger" and with that he set out to mingle himself, joining in on a conversation between a cardassian, a ferengi and a tellarite.

Lieutenant Commander Gambon, the benzite, turned to the four-man detail he had assigned to maintain security during their visit. "Keep a tricorder active at all times."

"Yes, sir" the lieutenant of the security-team said in response.

Lieutenant Commander Karalga, the kaitian science officer of the USS Excelsior, wearing the same lime-green jacket as Sulu and Gambon, sipped her cup of warm klingon blood-wine. "This is a room full of criminals, isn't it?"

"That it is, lieutenant commander" the benzite said, stern eyes scanning their surroundings.

Sulu turned to his fellow officers. "Remember, we are here to make friends with the local government. Act nice."

At that very moment, a trio of local authority walked up to the Starfleet officers; two humans and a lurian, all dressed in exquisite garbs.

"Captain Sulu?" the male human asked, an elderly gentleman with hints of gray in his hair.

"Yes" Sulu said. "Prime Minister Geltrodd, I believe?"

"Indeed" the man said and smiled, the two shaking hands. "I must express my profound gratitude for the Federations charity. Your shipment will be of great relief to our colonists, whether it be injuries from mining-accidents or attacks by pirates. The citizens of Korvat will not soon forget this gesture."

"We are only glad to help out" Sulu said with a smile.

They were interrupted as a cardassian decided to join them, a cardassian that the prime minister seemed to be well acquainted with.

"Director Rukat" minister Geltrodd said and invited the cardassian to join them with an open arm. "May I introduce the captain of the USS Excelsior; captain Sulu."

"A pleasure, captain" the gray-skinned reptilian said and shook Sulus hand. "Your fame preceeds you, as does your reputation. One of Starfleets finest combat-veterans."

"I like to consider myself an explorer" Sulu replied.

"Come now, captain" the cardassian grinned, "three years patrolling the klingon border hardly qualifies as exploration."

At that point, Karalga decided to join in on the conversation. "I beg to differ" the kaitian said, "the neutral zone established between the Klingon Empire and the Federation is a vast region of space that can only be surveyed through the use of long-range scanners. As such, our patrols are primarily directed towards surveys of the planets and anomalies found in the neutral zone. A most fascinating mission to say the least, not to mention difficult as we are unable to conduct any experiments up close, so to speak."

Rukat listened and nodded. "Yet, one can not help but wonder if your scans aren't primarily meant to detect cloaked klingon vessels, trying to attack Federation colonies."

"A fortunate side-effect of our scientific duties" Sulu added, a comment that made everyone chuckle politely.

"Well, enough politics" Rukat said and held up a glass of blue liquid. "You should try the romulan ale. It is imported directly from Romulus."

"Director Rukat is the cardassian liason to Korvat" prime minister Geltrodd explained to the Starfleet officers. "We are fortunate enough that he is willing to trade romulan ale for our ore, from time to time."

"The least I can do" Rukat said with a wide grin, revealing his reptilian teeth. "The Cardassian Empire realize that only through trade and co-operation can Cardassia and Korvat bring civilization to this remote part of the galaxy. And through our mutual efforts, we will force the pirates that harass these systems to flee to the Beta Quadrant if that is necessary."

"How noble of you" Sulu commented.

Rukats smile never faded. "Cardassians are a noble race, and we are loyal to our friends."

Sulu was not all too keen to agree. "Is that why Cardassia has subjugated a dozen other races and their planets?"

"Subjugated?" Rukat chuckled and shook his head. "You are misinformed, captain. We brought civilization to those people. We gave them machines, spaceships and medicine. We made them greater than they ever could hope to be on their own." The cardassian then turned to the prime minister of Korvat. "You see, unlike the Federation that lets planets endure millennia of disease, famine and wars, because of their superior moral compass, we cardassians believe in sharing our technology with those less fortunate than ourselves. We, simply put, deprive them of illnesses, of starvation and of conflict and offer them peace and prosperity."

"And what does Cardassia get in return?" Sulu wondered. "Stripping those planets of all of their resources. Forcing generations into conditions resembling slavery and forced labor. Recruiting unwilling youngsters to serve in your military as front-line troops and cannon-fodder. You claim to liberate these worlds, yet all you are doing are robbing them of their young and their ability to sustain themselves."

Prime Minister Geltrodd cleared his throat in an effort to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Well, I suppose there are benefits and downsides to all forms of government. Korvat is not without her own issues."

Gambon placed a hand on Sulu's shoulder. "Pardon, captain, but I think politics just took a turn for the worse."

They all turned to see what the benzite was talking about, as did everyone else in the room. At the halls main entrance, a group of newcomers had just entered and were now the focus of everyone attending the gathering. Eight klingons, large, broad shoulders, bearded with flowing hair covering their shoulders, surveyed the scene in turn. Their outfits covered with pieces of iron and leather and fur, daggers carried in the belts and pistols worn along their thighs. Four of them, the obvious bodyguards, wore helmets and were armed with a bat'leth each. As they made their way into the hall, the crowd parted before them, giving them a wide berth.

"Lord Koloth of the esteemed House of Lasshar" the prime minister of Korvat said and offered the klingon noble a generous bow. "It is an immense honor to be in your presence. I am Prime Minister Geltrodd, your host for the evening. If there is anything I can do for you…"

The sentence was cut short as Koloth pushed Geltrodd to the side and with a couple of strides found himself face to face with Hikaru Sulu. Sulu, reaching only Koloth to the chest, cautiously looked up at the intimidating creature that was looking down at him.

"Koloth, son of Lasshar" Sulu said, without hesitation or fear.

"Hikaru, son of Akira" the klingon warlord replied. "Your presence gives me great honor. Often we have battled. Tonight, we drink as warriors."

"I hope you forgive me" Sulu said, "if I indulge myself this evening."

"Why?" the klingon wondered, quite demandingly. "Am I not worthy of your company?"

Sulu could hear the low growl bubbling in Koloth's throat. The eyes, blue as ice, radiated with a slowly building rage. Sulu knew enough about klingons to know that this was not the time to falter.

"I still have duties to perform on my ship, as soon as I return" the captain of the Excelsior explained, never taking his eyes from the klingons gaze. "A drunk commander is a poor leader, after all."

"Delegate your duties" Koloth said with a mocking grin. "I insist."

Gambon made a slight gesture to his security-officers, who all slowly moved their hands to their phasers. In turn, the klingon warriors readied themselves, prepared to free their own weapons.

"What you insist is hardly our concern, now is it?"

Everyone whipped around to look at the man who had interrupted the tense moment, and Sulu was less than pleased to find it was Curzon Dax who had decided to antagonize the klingons further.

Koloth snarled at the trill. "Who are you to address me like I was a slave?!"

Curzon emptied his glass of brandy and placed it to the side, doing his best to ignore the two klingon bodyguards that had closed in on him. The trill managed to keep calm, only because the klingons had yet drawn their weapons; he knew that as soon as that happened, he would die. As they were still sheathed and holstered, he was safe, at least for the moment.

"I am Curzon of Dax, friend of Kor, son of Rynar of House Ryna of the blood of Kahless. I speak to you as an equal."

Koloth almost ran up to the trill, only stopping short of running him over. Dax had to admit that he was not far from wetting himself as the behemoth came at him.

"You dare to mock me… trill?" the words trembled with subdued rage as Koloth spoke.

"You know my name" Dax said, sounding as confident as he could, given the situation. "And you know Kor. Honor me, as I honor you, Koloth, son of Lasshar. Or are you afraid that my mind and wit is sharper than yours?"

Curzons throat was gripped by iron fingers, squeezing his windpipe shut. All the guests were ready to panic and every guard present, whether it was cardassian, Starfleet or klingon, readied themselves for the worst outcome.

"Koloth!" Sulu called out. "Release him!"

But Koloth ignored the human captain, and instead inspected the trills eyes. As Curzon was turning red, and later blue, Koloth suddenly released his grip of the young trill and let him fall to the floor, gasping for air.

"You are a bold one" Koloth then said, taking a step back from the trill.

Leaning against a knee, gently stroking his aching throat, Curzon glanced up at the giant warrior in front of him. "And quite fun to be around too, I'm told."

A moments silence, then Koloth could not help to chuckle at the curious trill. He then turned and joined the other members of his crew as they decided to find something to drink. As the klingons moved away, Sulu and his officers moved in and helped Curzon to his feet.

"You are a damned fool!" Karalga said, looking around to make sure there wasn't more trouble coming at them.

The benzite was even less impressed. "He is a security-risk, captain. I recommend having him detained until we head back to the Federation."

Sulu waved off the suggestion, even though in his mind thought it was the most prudent course of action at the moment. Sulu waited for Curzon to regain his wits, before he gained the trills attention.

"Do you have a death-wish, ambassador?" the captain of the USS Excelsior asked.

"Hardly" Curzon said, clearing his throat. "But a klingon like Koloth, with him you need to stand out in a crowd to earn his attention. He'll remember me, the bold trill." Dax smiled as he said it and then nodded as he gave it some thought. "Well, this was a success. I'd say this requires some celebrating" he said and slapped Sulu over the shoulder and went looking for another glass of alcohol.

The three senior Starfleet officers, in their lime-green dress-uniforms, could hardly believe it all as the trill vanished into the crowd once more.

Karalga shook her head. "We need to leave before he starts a war."

Sulu could hardly object. "I concur, lieutenant commander."


	4. Chapter 4

Sybok and Emelie entered a shady establishment, a cantina that was the home of scum and villainy from all corners of the galaxy. Korvat was a refuge for such creatures, and Paq's Tavern catered to their every needs. Music was loud, half-naked girls dancing in cages, alcohol served at expensive prices. Gambling conducted at almost every table of the establishment.

Making their way through the crowded tavern, the human and the vulcan eventually were stopped by two nausicaans guarding a booth in the corner. Sitting in the booth were two ferengi, a betazoid and a human; all of them grizzled with suspicion, the word charlatan, rogue or scoundrel could describe each of them.

One of the ferengi told the bodyguards to step aside and waved Emelie and Sybok to join the others by the booth.

"Come, sit" the ferengi said with a ferengi-heavy accent. "Have some romulan ale, on the house."

Sitting down, Emelie and Sybok were offered a glass each with the blue beverage. Sybok smelled the drink while Emelie never touched it. Instead, she handed over a palm-sized datapad.

"Access codes and ships manifest" the young human female said as the ferengi picked up the pad. "Shouldn't be a problem to pick out the crates you want."

Paq, the ferengi, eyed the datapad through a bionic lens that he held to his eye. Through it, he could tell that the data stored on the device was the real thing and not fake.

"Do you have what we need?" Emelie then asked.

Paq leaned back into the couch of the booth, placing the lens and pad on the table, smiling like a predator in response to the girls question.

"I have what you want" the ferengi eventually said. Pointing out into the tavern, Emelie and Sybok turned to spot the small group of cardassians Paq was indicating. "Cardassian crew, came here on a cargo-hauler four days ago. Unloaded their cargo, filled up their cargo-hold and have been spending latinum ever since."

"This is of interest because?" Sybok inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

Paq grinned. "They came here directly from Romulus."

Emelie and Sybok glanced at one another.

"I assume there is more to it?" Emelie asked as she turned her attention back at the ferengi.

Paq nodded, sipped some romulan ale, and then shared what he knew. "As the cardassians restocked their water-supply, I bribed a technician to copy the files from their life-support system. The cardassian ship has a crew of fifty, yet, during the trip from Romulus they had spent enough oxygen for sixty people. No passengers, no animals onboard."

"Interesting" Sybok had to admit, stroking his chin. "And no hull-leaks on the ship?"

Paq chuckled, smiling like the devious troll that he was. "Hull integrity intact, deflectors working at one hundred percent. No leaks."

Emelie glanced over her shoulder at the cardassians. "And there are no romulans on Korvat?"

"If they're here, I sure don't know about it" Paq pointed out. "My guess is, they don't want to be found."

 **XXX XXX**

The cardassians left Paq's Tavern, drunk and with female company, advancing down the street like an unruly mob. Emelie and Sybok, standing in the shadows, studied the cardassians as they sang and laughed, walking down the street.

Sybok shared his thoughts to Emelie. "If the Tal Shiar is using a cardassian ship to move their agents around, there is a good chance that the cardassian Central Command is involved as well."

Emelie nodded. "The thought hit me as well. The cardassians would benefit as much as the romulans if the klingons attacked the Federation. It changes things if we are dealing with more than just romulan agents, but romulans backed up by cardassians."

"It changes nothing" Sybok countered, determined to see his plan through. "It merely gives credit to my theory, and, increases the chances of an hostile act to be carried out against the klingons and the Federation here in Korvat. Romulans and cardassians working together? Something is about to happen."

 **XXX XXX**

"Sounds like we are on the right track" Curzon Dax said over the commlink, standing some ways away from everyone else at the party arranged by local Korvat officials.

"Yeah" Emelie replied over subspace. "I truly fear that things will get ugly. What ever the case, we need to find out what the cardassians are doing here and what they are up to."

Dax could not argue against the conclusion. "How do we achieve this?"

Emelies sigh was clearly heard over the commlink. "I will have to, somehow, sneak onboard the cardassian ship and look for clues."

Curzon was not sure he had heard her correctly, but the knew he had. "That's an awfully big risk."

"I know… But we have no other choice. Keep Sulu and the klingons at bay. When the romulans make their move, we need to be ready."

"Understood."

Emelie cut transmission and Dax sighed. Returning the commlink to his belt, he drank some saurian brandy before rejoining the party.

 **XXX XXX**

Being back onboard the USS Excelsior, Hikaru Sulu tossed the lime-green dress-uniform to the side once in his quarters and sat himself down by a computer. He activated the transmissions-matrix and the subspace-frequency that linked him directly to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco on Earth. A dark-skinned woman, clearly having been a beauty in her youth, appeared on the screen, wearing the green of Starfleet Intelligence beneath the gray jacket.

"Hikaru!" the woman said with a wide smile.

"Major U'hura" Sulu smiled back at her. "How are things on Earth?"

"Boring" the major said with a smirk. "But, the coffee here is better than on the Enterprise."

"We had coffee?" Sulu joked and they both laughed.

Major U'hura shook her head. "What can I help you with?"

"As you know, I am currently on assignment in the Korvat system" Sulu said.

U'hura nodded. "Yes, delivering medical supplies to give us a reason to have a presence there, so the klingons and cardassians don't think they can bully every system they come across."

"What do you know of the other mission?" Sulu asked.

"Other mission?"

Sulu sighed and nodded. "Emelie is here" he then said. "On a mission together with Spocks brother."

"What?" it was clear that the news took U'hura by complete surprise.

"Apparently" Sulu continued, "they suspect a romulan plot taking place here. As it happens, I am not alone; Koloth is here, hovering in orbit over the colony."

U'hura turned grim at the mention of the renowned klingon captain. "Koloth is at Korvat? Hikaru, I have no idea why Emelie is there, and I sure as hell don't know what Koloth is up to. But be careful, Hikaru. If there are romulans and klingons at Korvat, you would be smart to keep your shields activated."

"The thought has crossed my mind" Sulu said. "Emelie is on the surface right now. I need to know everything you can give me on this mission of hers."

U'hura nodded. "I will see what I can do."

 **XXX XXX**

It was the following morning, and Emelie Marcus-Kirk peered out from behind her cover behind some piping that ran vertically along the wall of the corridor. She studied the cardassian shuttle docked in the hangarbay, surrounded by crates containing supplies that were being prepared to be shipped to shuttles mothership in orbit over Korvat. Three cardassians oversaw the operation, and their conversation clearly told Emelie how disgruntled they were, having to work while the rest of the crew were out enjoying themselves with drink and women. This encouraged Emelie, it meant the cardassian cargoship would be essentially void of personnel, making her mission all the more easy.

The young human lieutenant of Starfleet Intelligence, disguised in civilian attire, carefully made her way closer to the shuttle, sneaking from one hiding-place to the other, closing with the shuttle with each dash into cover as she went. The cardassians were finishing loading the last crate onto the shuttle, and as the airlock was about to slid shut, Emelie hurried to crawl aboard the small vessel and found a hiding-place in its cargohold. The cardassians, unaware of their stowaway, activated the shuttles various systems and took flight, heading for orbit and their ship hovering in wait over the planet.

Sybok watched as the shuttle vanished in the cloud-covered skies, nodding as the tiny vessel disappeared. Pulling his hood over his head, he returned to the streets of Korvat colony.

 **XXX XXX**

Sulu was going through the morning-report on a datapad, a young Command ensign standing in wait next to him. As Curzon Dax, showing clear signs of last nights adventures, entered the bridge, the captain simply shook his head.

"I hope you are not drunk, or hungover, on my bridge, ambassador" the captain commented.

"Not at all" Dax replied, somewhat unconvincingly. "Trills are just not equipped for early morning-routines."

"So last night was a success, then?" Sulu wondered, handing over the datapad to the ensign who walked away to log the reports.

Curzon did not reply at first, making his way across the bridge, casually glancing at a screen depicting the klingon cruiser, the IKS Gr'oth. "Diplomacy has never worked better" he eventually said. "I can safely say, that the Federation has a better reputation with the orions this morning than the night before."

Sulu shook his head and grunted. "Really? And the klingons?"

"That is still to be resolved, captain" Curzon admitted.

"Sir, a situation has arisen."

Sulu walked over to Gars station on the bridge and studied her main display.

"Two crates are unaccounted for" the commander of the USS Excelsior explained. "They were beamed down, received, but has vanished somewhere between the cargo-bay and the main storage-area."

"Which crates?" Sulu inquired.

"Both containing biobeds, eight per crate" Gars said. "Not something that just happens to disappear."

Dax couldn't help but overhear the conversation. "That is surely, by now, a concern for local authorities?" the trill said. "Federation jurisdiction is limited in neutral space, after all."

"True" Sulu agreed as he straightened his back, eyes locked on the commanders display with data on the lost shipment. "But the items lost are advanced technology provided by the Federation. We are obligated to ensure that they are used as intended, and by the people we provide them to."

Lieutenant Commander Gambon was next to speak. "Should I prepare an away-team, captain? Investigate the whereabouts of the crates?"

"Not without a request from the local government" Dax cut in. "We have no jurisdiction here, and the Prime Directive forbids us to interfere without an invitation to do so."

Sulu could not argue against the trill. "Inform the local government that we would gladly aid them in retrieving the lost items. Mister Gambon, assemble a team and have them ready to go."

"Yes, captain" the benzite said and immediately began carrying out his orders.

Gars sighed as she scrolled through the data to see if something else was missing or was out of place. "Could it be the klingons?" she then asked.

"Koloth is not interested in biobeds" Sulu remarked.

"Klingons value scars and wounds" Dax said. "They are as valuable to klingons as medals, if not more so. A biobed would be counterproductive, so to speak."

Sulu thought about the cybernetic eyes he had, having replaced his natural ones years ago while he still served on the Enterprise. As it were, it had been during a battle against Koloth and his cruiser that Sulu's console had exploded, sending shards of debris into his face and eyes. The implants were a constant reminder of the aggressive nature of the klingons, and how they could not be trusted at any time.

"I want those biobeds found" Sulu eventually said. "We are here on a public relations mission; by finding the beds we improve relations with Korvat. Make it happen."

Dax watched with some amazement as everyone went back to work and the captain returned to his chair. "Sir" the trill eventually said as he walked over to the captain, "Starfleet regulations prevents you from interfering at this point."

Sulu, not looking impressed by the diplomats assessment, gave the trill a defiant glance. "We are in neutral space, mister Dax, Out here, regulations seldom apply."

"A bold statement" Curzon said, somewhat impressed by the captains audacity.

Sulu replied as he picked up a datapad. "You can quote me in your report."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie opened the crate she had hid inside of, lying on top of packages of ready-to-eat meals. It had been silent for an hour or so, after her crate had been offloaded and secured in a cargohold aboard the cardassian vessel. A slight vibration went through the ship, the humming noise of the warp-core ever constant in the background. No sound of boots, no-one talking, no indication of a crewmember being close-by.

She dared to leave the crago-hold and carefully made her way out into the corridors of the ship. Armed with a tricorder, she slowly advanced down the corridors, scanning her surroundings as she went. Footsteps echoing through the ship forced her to press herself up against the bulkhead, and further down the ship a cardassian crewmember walked on by, moving on to perform his duties without ever knowing a spy was onboard. Emelie let out a sigh of relief as the cardassian vanished and she could continue her search.

Eventually, her tricorder detected something that caught her interest and she made her way to the compartment in question. A small docking-bay, empty and unused at the moment. The shuttle that it would hold off to the surface no doubt. Emelie continued her scans and the tricorder lit up as her search had payed off big time. Emelie Marcus-Kirk could not hold back the smile as she studied the readings.

 **XXX XXX**

As Sulu entered his personal quarters, he unbuttoned his gray jacket and the yellow shirt as he sat down by the rooms main console. Activating the subspace-frequencies, he provided the computer with his security code. Within seconds, a transmission was received.

"Well?" Sulu asked as soon as the picture was stable.

U'hura was as serious as ever. "Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk has been AWOL for six days. And no-one can account for the whereabouts of diplomats Sybok and Curzon Dax. Emelie should be working behind a desk on space-station 294; what she is doing with you in the Korvat system, I don't know. I do know that her mission is not sanctioned by Starfleet Intelligence, or any other department."

"She's gone rogue?" Sulu sounded truly surprised.

"Considering who her father was" U'hura said, "I'm not exactly shocked."

"And the romulan agents they say they are after?"

U'hura shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows. I've asked around and Starfleet has no indication of any kind that the romulans are operating on Korvat. Colonel West had no intel at all, and the vulcans sure as hell haven't shared any information with us. Even so, Curzon is a maverick when it comes to diplomacy, yet he has had the most success with klingons than any other in decades. The klingons could have informed him of something."

"That would explain the presence of Koloth" Sulu nodded as he considered the situation.

U'hura agreed. "It would. There is one other possibility though."

Sulu was unable to grasp it. "And that would be?"

U'hura doublechecked her surroundings, even though she was transmitting from her own office in San Francisco. "Sybok worked closely for many years with Spock Prime" she said and leaned in closer to the camera. "There must be a reason why Sybok is involved in all of this. It is possible they are acting on something Spock told him."

"Information from the future?" Sulu quickly gathered. "Involving a romulan scheme here in the Korvat system. But how reliable could this information be? The timeline has changed, there is no reason to believe the romulans would be present here in our timeline."

U'hura leaned back into her chair. "You're right. But for some reason, those three went underground and has resurfaced on Korvat, intent on finding romulans. To them, this is important enough to betray Starfleet and the Federation."

Sulu sighed, a stern look on his face. "I will throw them in the brig and get some answers."

"If they are acting on information from the future" U'hura said, "then it is imperative that you find out what it is, and if we need to act on it."

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon Dax was escorted by Commander Gars to captain Hikaru Sulus ready-room and forced to sit in a chair opposite the captain; Sulu himself sitting behind his desk with a not all to happy look on his face. A fact that did not escape the young trill.

"If this is about that lovely female ensign on deck twelve, I assure you, I was quite the gentleman" Curzon said.

"Shut up, mister Dax" Sulu said sharply. "You will speak only when you are required to answer my questions. Understood?"

The trill nodded, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Your mission is not sanctioned by Starfleet" Sulu began. "First, I want to know if there are any romulans here at all."

"We believe so" Dax answered without playing games.

Sulu studied the trill with sharp eyes. "The information, where does it come from?"

"The vulcan" Dax explained.

Sulu sighed. "Where did he obtain the information?"

"I don't know" Curzon said. "He came to me a month ago or so, and presented me with an opportunity to gain klingon favor and increase our chances for peace."

"How?" Gars wondered, cutting into the conversation.

Dax smiled at the corner of his mouth. "He knew that Koloth would be here. And he knew about a romulan plot to increase tension between the klingons and the Federation. If we could expose the romulans, I would gain favor with Koloth, a living legend in the klingon empire, and close ally of chancellor Gorkon himself. I thought that if I could make friends with Koloth here on Korvat, it could improve relations with the klingons as a whole. I would be mad to ignore that chance."

Sulu nodded. "Good enough" he then said. "That explains you. But what about Sybok and Emelie? Why this secret mission, why not inform Starfleet?"

It was obvious that the trill thought about his options as he hesitated to answer. "According to Sybok, in the original timeline, Spock had found out, through his contacts in the Romulan Star Empire, about a mission here on Korvat, designed to escalate hostilities between the klingons and the Federation. The romulan mission would spark events that would be monumental, catastrophic even; change the course of history so to speak. Sybok believed, that due to the significant impact this mission had on the original timeline, it would still play a part in our time."

Gars sat down in a chair of her own. "So what is he trying to prevent?"

Dax turned serious, seemingly truly for the first time since arriving on the Excelsior. "He is trying to prevent the destruction of Vulcan."


	5. Chapter 5

The senior staff of the USS Excelsior had gathered in the vessels main briefing-room. Captain Sulu was joined by Commander Gars, along with the ships officers holding the rank of lieutenant commander; chief of security Gambon, Shrav, the chief engineer, Karalga, the chief science officer, the ships chief medical officer, Augustus Eckenwald and chief of Operations, Handalma.

Sulu sat down at the head of the table and studied his fellow officers. "This mission has taken an unexpected turn" he said. "It seems as if lieutenant Marcus-Kirk has gone rogue, along with Sybok and Curzon Dax. Their mission here is not sanctioned."

Eckenwald, the gray haired human male, looked at the other officers before turning back to the captain. "They are not here looking for romulans?"

"We think they are" Sulu said. "But the motives for doing so are… somewhat extraordinary."

Gars addressed her fellow members of the senior staff. "It would seem as if Sybok recruited lieutenant Marcus-Kirk and Curzon Dax to go through with this mission, a plan of his own devices. How Sybok found out about the romulans is classified, but he approached lieutenant Marcus-Kirk since he needed her expertise as a Starfleet Intelligence officer. He also knew that klingons would be here so he recruited Dax, an expert on dealing with the klingons."

"We have updated orders from Starfleet headquarters" Sulu explained. "We are to apprehend all three and bring them back to Earth for questioning. Curzon Dax is already secured in his quarters."

Shrav, the andorian engineer, tried to connect the dots. "But the romulans are here? Yet we are arresting our own people?"

"There is no conclusive evidence that there is a romulan presence in the system" Gars corrected the andorian.

"Yet we will act on the assumption that they are here?" Eckenwald said, more a statement than a question.

Gambon was next to speak. "An away-team will locate and arrest Sybok and lieutenant Marcus-Kirk. Once in our custody, we will debrief them and begin our search for the romulans."

Sulu leaned with both elbows against the table. "The problem is the presence of the klingons. If they suspect us of foul play, they will interfere, and they may turn violent."

"Which means" Gars cut in, "that we will have to include them to some extent."

"I must object" Gambon instantly barked in disagreement. "The less we involve the klingons, the better" the benzite said. "We don't want to give them any reason to go looking for Sybok and our lieutenant; to them, they will be traitors and valid targets to hunt down. We will have a greater chance of finding them, alive, without klingons interfering."

Handalma, a xindi-arboreal, wearing the purple shirt of Operations, gave the matter some thought. "And if we let them play this out? What if they find the romulans?"

"Not a valid option, I'm afraid" Sulu explained. "The nature of Syboks source of information leaves us no choice but to interfere and arrest them. All I can say is that they are acting on knowledge that should not be acted upon. I understand how that sounds, but that is the situation we have to deal with."

"I don't buy it" Karalga said, the female kaitian sporting impressive sideburns along her jawline, and gained everyone's attention. The kaitian glanced at each and everyone present in the room. "Curzon Dax is well known among klingons. Sybok is well known to romulans, especially the Tal Shiar. Lieutenant Marcus-Kirk is the daughter of Starfleets greatest hero, our most prominent captain. These are not people that would go undetected by klingons or romulans, not for long at least. Why would Sybok recruit those two for a covert mission?"

"I believe that would be classified" Eckenwald said, giving the kaitian a wink.

Sulu sighed heavily. "What I am about to tell you goes against direct orders from Starfleet" he told his officers, paused momentarily, and then decided to inform them what was going on. "Curzon Dax has revealed to us the details of Syboks plan. The point of Syboks mission was to discover the romulans and learn of their operations here. With this knowledge secured, he intended to create a temporal rift in order to reach the original timeline and then stop the romulans in that reality, using what he had learned here. All of this is based on information he had obtained from another vulcan; his brother, Spock Prime."

"Acting on information from the future?" Shrav said, barely believing it.

Karalga, being the science officer, shook her head. "A temporal rift is an insane en-devour. Sybok would have to travel at speeds surpassing warp ten, relying on tremendous amounts of energy. Staggering amounts. That is simply not possible with our technology. In theory, one should add."

Sulu turned to Karalga directly. "Sybok intends to use a modified klingon torpedo. That is why he needed the help of Curzon Dax; without him, it would have been impossible to obtain the torpedo he required for his plan to succeed. Curzons connections in the Klingon Empire will provide Sybok with the torpedo he needs."

Gars was next to speak. "The modified torpedo would have to impact with a Federation torpedo, head on. The resulting release of energy would, in theory, create the anomaly Sybok would need to traverse space and time. All based on information provided by Spock Prime."

"So" Eckenwald said, "They intend to figure out what the romulans are doing, then use a klingon torpedo to travel to a time and place that has been erased thanks to the Kelvin-incident, and prevent the romulans in that timeline from succeeding doing what ever they plan to do." The silence in the room was a clear indication how awkward and uncomfortable the situation was. "Why?" the doctor then asked.

Sulu gave it a moment of thought. "According to Curzon Dax, Sybok told him that in the original timeline, the romulans successfully disrupted a conference between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. Growing hostility convinced certain influential people within Starfleet that drastic action was needed to force the klingons to accept peace. Their plan, which was carried out, and in the end successfully forced the klingons into signing a peace-treaty at Khitomer, saw the intentional detonation of the dilithium-processing plants on the moon of Praxis."

"The moon in orbit of Kronos?" Gambon said aloud as he realized what moon the matter concerned.

"Praxis is the main source of processed dilithium in the klingon empire" the andorian concluded.

Karalga could hardly believe it. "The fallout would kill millions on Kronos."

"Billions" Sulu corrected. "The moon was entirely destroyed. Kronos was made all but uninhabitable as lunar debris rained down on the surface and destroyed seventy percent of the planet. The success of the mission prompted Starfleet, decades later, to perform a similar attack against the romulans. The Romulus star was destroyed, forced into going supernova using a stolen romulan warhead, annihilating the entire system and every romulan in it. Except for one ship… the Narada."

Handalma sighed and nodded. "The ship that went back in time and destroyed Vulcan."

"That is what Sybok intends to prevent" Sulu said, sensing the tension in the room. "His goal is to prevent the destruction of three worlds. By saving Kronos and Romulus in the original timeline, he will prevent Vulcan from being destroyed in ours."

Shrav did not even hesitate. "Then why stop him? We are talking about preventing genocide."

"Not at all" Karalga cut in. "We are talking about not accepting fate, altering history until it suits us. That is a power not even a vulcan can handle. The ethical questions are enormous, far too great for us to even grasp, let alone comprehend. Such power can not be allowed to be wielded by men acting to further their own agendas. The crew of the Narada did exactly that, and the result was the destruction of Vulcan and the death of billions. Starfleet is correct; we must stop them."

"Are you mad?!" Shrav looked around at the others. "He wants to save three planets, he wants to save billions of men, women and children from dying! Are we seriously going to stop him and let these worlds die?!"

"The timeline is changed" Handalma argued. "Nothing suggests that Kronos and Romulus will be destroyed again."

"Yet" Gambon cut in, "tensions are high with the klingon empire. Destroying Praxis, considering the current political state, could force the klingons to accept peace on the Federations terms."

The andorian chief engineer shook his head. "Gambon? Are you saying you agree with the attack on Kronos?"

The benzite snarled. "I am saying, lieutenant commander, that Praxis may be the target for a similar attack in our timeline."

"It doesn't matter" Karalga growled as she, almost theatrically, hit her fist against the table. "Trying to alter the course of history is too dangerous to be left to individuals acting out of personal interest. It is too dangerous to be left to anyone! The destruction of Vulcan is the proof!"

Gars shook her head. "So what then? We are going to let three planets be wiped out?"

"One planet" Karalga said. "You must remember, that now, thanks to the Kelvin-incident, the other timeline never took place. Kronos and Romulus have not been attacked. The only thing that has taken place is the devastation of Vulcan. And Sybok can not change that. He must not be allowed to try and change it. It may seem harsh, but we can not let one man decide the course of history, alter it to suit his own desires."

"Pandoras box" Sulu said with a heavy sigh.

Eckenwald stroked his well-trimmed beard. "This klingon torpedo, are we to assume it is on Koloths ship?"

"No" was Sulus answer. "The torpedo is on its way onboard the IKS Klothos, a Bird-of-Prey commanded by a klingon warlord named Kor. Kor is a close friend of Curzon since a few years back. Kor will arrive in a day or so and provide Sybok with the torpedo he needs."

Gars sighed as she considered the dire, yet irrational, situation they had found themselves in. "And in the middle of all this, there is the possibility that agents of the Tal Shiar will try and provoke a conflict between us and the klingons. We have found ourselves in quite a mess, ladies and gentlemen."

Sulu nodded. "The sooner we find Sybok and lieutenant Marcus-Kirk, the sooner we can get out of here and out of harms way."

 **XXX XXX**

Paq, a loathsome ferengi with few scruples to his name, was grinning wide with a girl on each lap, music booming in his ears and equally loathsome friends joining him by his table. His tavern was filled with customers paying for expensive drinks and losing money on rigged gambling; tonight was a profitable night indeed. A foul joke told by a business associate had him burst with laughter, and Paq rewarded the man by pushing one of the girls in the ferengis lap into his; the girl immediately leaning in for a kiss.

Paq reacted to his bodyguards stopping a pair of patrons trying to reach his booth, and taking a closer look, Paq realized it was the vulcan and human who had taken an interest in the romulans. Paq called out to his guards and allowed the vulcan and human to approach with a gesture with his hand.

"Good friends!" Paq said with a smile. "Sit, have a drink."

"We are here on business" Sybok explained, to the point.

Paq did not let his smile falter. "The two are very compatible, I find. But who am I to judge? What can I do you for?"

"The cardassian ship" Emelie said. "We suspect a shuttle left it after it arrived to Korvat. A shuttle not used for transporting cargo. We need to find it."

Paq nodded as he listened. "I see" he said, placing his drink on the table. "You would do best to speak to Glint about that. A bolian in charge of traffic-control. Sadly, I seem to recall that he died last night."

"How then are we to speak to him?" Sybok wondered.

Paq chuckled. "Corpses have little use of their tongues" the ferengi smiled. "Fortunately, corpses tend to leave things behind. Things dropped off in life, so to speak."

Emelie was not amused. "That's all you can give us?"

Paq shrugged his shoulders. "There is no profit in giving away information for free."

"Not to worry" Sybok assured his human friend. "I believe the ferengi has done what he can, without risking his own life." Sybok then turned to Paq, "We are grateful for the direction you have pointed out for us."

Paq held up a glass in a toast. "May your en-devours be profitable."

Sybok replied with a vulcan hand-gesture. "Live long and prosper."

Emelie and Sybok left the ferengi and his company, making their way towards the taverns exit, pushing their way through the crowded establishment.

"A dead bolian?" Emelie said, trying to be heard over the music.

"We shall search his quarters" Sybok answered. "I am certain we will find what we are after. The bolian is dead for a reason; he knew about the romulan shuttle. It is likely that the bolian contacted the ferengi about this, well aware that the ferengi would pay latinum for such information. The fact that the bolian is dead indicates that the romulans are here on a mission, and according to the ferengi, the romulans have most likely failed in cloaking their arrival."

"How do we know the ferengi isn't on the romulan payroll?" Emelie wondered, skeptical and suspicious about relying on a ferengi.

"He most likely is" Sybok said. "That wont prevent him from stabbing them in back."

At that point, they both stepped out of the tavern and onto the street. But their advance was halted by five officers out of Starfleet Security; one of which was lieutenant commander Gambon. The benzite gave the vulcan and human a most stern stare.

"Ambassador Sybok, lieutenant Marcus-Kirk… You are under arrest by order of Starfleet."

Emelie glanced at Sybok. "Stabbing who in the back?"

 **XXX XXX**

Gars smiled as she listened in on the transmission. "Captain" she said, quite satisfied, "ambassador Sybok and lieutenant Marcus-Kirk have been found and are in Gambons custody. They are heading for the shuttle as we speak."

"Excellent" Sulu said. "It is time to put an end to this nonsense."

Over by his station, ensign Tuvok, the young vulcan, was not only intrigued but also surprised and astonished over the data displayed on his screens. He had to triple-check before he could accept what had just happened.

"Lieutenant commander Karalga, please report to science-station three."

The kaitian officer headed over to the vulcan and leaned in to study the workstation and its displays. "Yes, ensign?"

"An odd event just took place, sir" Tuvok said. "It appears that a few seconds ago, we received a signal from the klingon vessel. Through this signal, we have downloaded the klingon vessels entire database; encryptions, ship-movement, codes, battleplans… everything."

Lieutenant commander Karalgas eyes turned wide as she realized what had happened. "Captain!" the feline roared and turned around.

 **XXX XXX**

Koloth barged onto the bridge of the IKS Gr'oth, pushing a crewmember to the side as he did.

"Report!" Koloth growled.

Korax, standing by the bridge technicians-console, turned to face the ships commanding officer. "Our entire data-storage has been downloaded and transmitted to the Federation vessel! They have everything!"

Koloth snarled as he at down in his captains chair and studied information on his personal screens. "Jam their transmissions!" he commanded. "Blur out subspace in the entire system! Activate shields and charge weapons! Destroy that ship!"

 **XXX XXX**

"The klingons have locked onto us!"

"They are charging disruptors!"

"Torpedo fired!"

Sulu held on tight to the armrests of his chair. "Shields up! Evasive maneuvers!"

Commander Gars strapped herself to her chair. "Impact in five seconds!"

Lieutenant commander Handalma, over by the ops-station, grabbed hold of his console. "Shields at twenty percent! It's not enough!"

The entire USS Excelsior shook violently as the klingon torpedo detonated against the energy-barrier that was the ships shields, sending shards of superheated gas crawling across the protective bubble.

"Klingons firing disruptors!"

Sulu spat out his orders. "Return fire!"

 **XXX XXX**

Lieutenant commander Gambon and his four officers were escorting Sybok and Emelie into the docking-bay where their shuttle stood waiting. Gambon was trying to make contact with the Excelsior, but had no luck in doing so.

"Strange" the benzite said, trying to adjust his handheld commlink. "There's only static."

"Problem, lieutenant commander?" Sybok inquired.

"None of your business" the security officer replied harshly.

Sybok saw things otherwise. "A communications breakdown would suggest that a hostile force is active and taking action against us. I suggest we cooperate in our search for the romulans; it is the path that will most likely see us successful."

The benzite turned in full to face the vulcan. "Now look here…"

Gambon was not allowed to finish his sentence, as a klingon shuttle appeared outside of the docking-bays forcefield. It's disruptors fired a single salvo and burst the Federation shuttle apart in smoke and flame. The Starfleet officers hurried to find cover, together with their captives. The klingon shuttle flew in and allowed a full dozen warriors to disembark, wearing armor and helmets, equipped with disruptor-pistols and edged melee-weapons.

Gambon took aim and gave the order. "Fire at will!"

Three klingons were gunned down in the initial volley, but as the klingons returned fire, two Starfleet officers were killed instantly. Emelie quickly picked up a phaser from one of the dead officers. The away-team and its captives moved as best they could towards the exit, providing cover-fire as they went. Just before leaving the hangar behind, another security-officer was killed by the klingon disruptors.

 **XXX XXX**

"Shields are holding at seventy-three percent" an engineer-officer reported.

"Pike Swirl maneuver completed in ten seconds, captain" the helm reported in turn.

"Engage Sulu Deep Dive maneuver… Now!" Sulu ordered.

"Aye, aye!" the helm replied. "Sulu Deep Dive!"

The bridge trembled as a salvo of klingon disruptors connected with the vessels shields.

"All communications are jammed" Karalga informed the other officers. "The klingons are flooding subspace with tachyon particles; we are cut off from Starfleet."

"Klingon shields down to ninety-four percent" Gars said, monitoring the ships sensors. "Aft torpedo-tubes reloaded in twelve seconds; locking on to target."

Wearing the brown shirt of Starfleet Security, the lieutenant manning the security-station turned to pass on dire news to her captain, overseeing sensors focused on tracking the away-teams health and medical-status. "Sir, the away-team has suffered casualties; three dead!"

Sulu slammed his fist against his chairs armrest. "What the hell is going on?!"

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon Dax had removed the panel controlling the door of his quarters. Fiddling with the cords and cables, he eventually managed to force the locked door to slide open. Having mentally prepared himself, as soon as a guard stepped in, the trill struck his shoulder across the human security-officers throat; sending him stumbling backwards and into the arms of the andorian officer that acted back-up. Dax kicked the human guard in the chest, sending both security-officers into the opposite wall. Dax was quickly on top of them both, throwing the human across the corridor, head first into the wall and knocking him out cold. Turning around, he acted quickly before the andorian had time to gather his wits, punching him hard across the jaw; satisfied that the andorian was as unconscious as his human partner, Curzon hurried to reach the bridge of the USS Excelsior.

 **XXX XXX**

A klingon was thrown back as a phaser-blast evaporated the warriors arm. The Starfleet security-officer responsible for the shot was in turn struck by three disruptor-rounds that ripped him apart. Gambon returned fire, but was quickly forced into cover behind the crates that protected them from harm; at least for the moment.

Emelie, phaser in hand and ready, sat kneeling next to Sybok. The vulcan was holding a hand against a wound in his abdomen, a wound that was bleeding freely; Sybok was having trouble breathing, not to mention coping with the pain.

"It is up to you now, Emelie" Sybok said, not without effort. "There is no way I can escape the klingons in my current state. I will die here."

"Shut up" Emelie said, then took a shot at the klingons. "This isn't over."

Gambon fired his phaser and Emelie joined him.

"No… It isn't" Sybok agreed. Then, he reached out and grabbed Emelie by the arm as green blood ran from the corner of his mouth. "Go… find the romulans… find Kor… and save… Vulcan."

Emelie watched as Sybok slipped out of consciousness, his body relaxing and sliding over in a lifeless heap. Emelie was woken from her chock by klingon disruptor-bolts heating the air around her as they shot past overhead by mere inches to spare. Gambon was thrown to the ground as he took a shot to the arm that almost severed it. Emelie fired a couple of shots at the klingons before she dragged the benzite into the cover and sat him upright; then she fired her phaser again, this time killing a klingon in the process.

"Go" Gambon coughed, trying to ignore the pain. "Get out of here… I'll hold them off."

"No, we stick together" Emelie said through grinding teeth as enemy fire was concentrated around their cover.

"Don't be an idiot!" Gambon growled. "There is no point in us both dying here. Get out of here, find the romulans or get back to the Federation, I don't care. Just stay alive!" Emelie's hesitation only fueled the benzite chief of security. "Go now, lieutenant!" Gambon ordered and got up on a knee firing his phaser wildly at the klingons.

Emelie ran, disruptor-fire erupting all around her. Behind her, lieutenant commander Gambon of the USS Excelsior kept the klingons busy, shooting at anything and everything. Emelie eventually made it out of harms way, away from the klingons line of sight and ran for all her worth to evade capture, or death.

Gambon fell down, exhausted and out of breath. He barely had the strength to hold onto his phaser, his uniform covered in blood and sweat. He had trouble breathing, telling him his breathing-apparatus had been damaged. It was only a matter of time before he would be as dead as the vulcan right next to him; Syboks stomach and legs soaked with green blood. With heavy breaths, Gambon looked up at the klingons as they stepped into view, walking confidently around the crates that had provided cover to the Starfleet officers.

Reaching down, two of the klingon warriors lifted Gambon from the floor, their treatment took no regard to his wounds. Before him stood a resolute klingon officer, tall and broad shouldered. The officer removed his helmet, letting his hair flow freely, revealing the scars on his bearded face. Crystal blue eyes looking out from beneath the ridged brow of the klingon species. Gambon struggled to remain conscious, focusing on his breathing. The klingon officer grabbed Gambon by the collar of his uniform, a low growl escaping his throat, uttering a single word.

" _Qapla'_."

As the klingon spoke, he rammed a dagger into Gambons stomach, cut it open and let all the benzites innards pour out onto the floor. The klingons let him fall to his knees, where he, slumped over, eventually died.


	6. Chapter 6

"Klingon vessel is rolling up above us."

Sulu studied the action of the enemy ship, and Gars was right; the Gr'oth was barrel-rolling to get on top of the Excelsior.

"Helm, hit retros in six seconds, then commence maneuver Kirk Epsilon" Sulu ordered.

"Aye, captain" the helmsman acknowledged.

The ship shook as klingon disruptor fire connected with the shields.

The communications-officer, wearing the orange shirt of a Specialist beneath the Starfleet uniform that carried a single red ribbon on either sleeve, shook his head. "I have no signal from Korvat. I can't reach the away-team."

"Sensors pick up twenty-eight humans on Korvat" Karalga reported in turn, "and six benzites."

Sulu turned to face his chief science officer. "Vulcans?"

Karalga shook her head, just as the ship shook from another hit. "Readings confirm seven klingons on the surface. No vulcans."

The security-lieutenant in charge of monitoring the condition of the away-teams shook her head in turn. "I've tried everything, captain. The away-team… They're all dead."

Gars turned to her commanding officer. "I'm sorry captain, but we are not equipped to deal with a klingon battle-cruiser. And the only way we can go down to the surface and find our officers, is if we defeat the klingons in space."

"Highly unlikely" Karalga added as the Excelsior shook from incoming fire.

"Damn it all!" Sulu growled. "Mister Shatner, plot a course for Federation space, maximum warp."

"Aye, aye, captain!" the helmsman responded.

"Do not engage warpdrive!"

Everyone on the bridge turned to the turbolifts and the trill who had counter-ordered the captain.

"Dax?!" Sulu barely believed his eyes. "Get off my bridge!"

Gars hurried over and grabbed the trill by the arm, but Curzon struggled not be arrested. "We can't leave before we find the romulans!" Curzon insisted. "Koloth is a friend of the klingon chancellor, this is our best chance to gain their trust!"

"Klingons can't be trusted" Sulu countered, grim as ever. As if to make his point, another klingon salvo shook the Starfleet vessel. "Get him out of here!"

"Torpedo!" lieutenant commander Handalma called out. "Brace for impact!"

The ship, and the bridge shook violently, rocking everyone in their chairs and crew standing upright were thrown to the floor, including Gars and Dax.

"There must be something really important on those datafiles" Handalma commented, the xindi-arboreal rubbing his neck after suffering a minor whiplash.

Gars, regaining her balance, secured another armlock on Curzon. "It's the Gr'oths entire database; all of it's important."

It was the first time Dax heard of it. "Their entire database? All of it?"

"None of your concern, ambassador" Gars growled.

"Klingon vessel coming in low on our aft portside, disruptor-barrage aimed at our ventral shields." Seconds later the Excelsior trembled from the impacts of disruptor-energy striking intact shields.

"Helm, prepare to engage Archer Delta maneuver on my mark" Sulu said. "I know that klingon pilot; he is not after our ventral shields."

"Captain!" Dax gained Sulus attention with a shout, struggling against Gars and by now another officer wearing the red shirt of Engineering department. "The romulans did this! If you make it back to Federation space with a klingon database, the klingons will react in the only way they know; you will start a war, captain!"

Tuvok was one of few people actually listening to what the trill was saying, despite the heat of battle. "Captain" the vulcan said and turned from his station to face his commanding officer, "the ambassadors assessment of the klingons reaction is a logical conclusion. If we return with the Gr'oths database intact and hand it over to Starfleet, klingon response will most likely be war."

"Then we destroy the data" Gars said.

"The klingons will hardly be convinced" Tuvok replied to the Excelsiors commander. "There is only one way Koloth can be certain that that information never reaches the Federation, and that is to destroy our ship."

Another impact shook the Excelsior, starting a minor fire in a workstation.

"Captain, please" Dax pleaded.

Sulu sighed and frowned. "This day just keeps getting more interesting. We can not hold our own against the klingons, we need a place to hide."

"The sixth planet" Dax suggested, a smile on his lips. "Its planetary rings can shield us from attack."

Tuvok was quick to make use of the Excelsiors scanners. "I believe the ambassador could be right. The combination of rocks, particles, ice and dust will effectively protect us from incoming fire."

Karalga doublechecked the information provided by the vulcans station. "The particle-density of the rings will require that we redirect power to our deflectors."

"That is mister Shravs problem" was Sulus only comment. "Helm, sixth planet, maximum impulse!"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

 **XXX XXX**

Studying the movement pattern of the USS Excelsior, it was clear that the Federation starship had abandoned trying outwit the IKS Gr'oth and had taken deliberate action to distance itself from the battle-cruiser.

"Cowards!" the pilot snarled and spat, then made sure the Gr'oth took a pursuit course, firing his forward disruptors in hopes of hitting the Excelsior as it zigged and zagged and barrel-rolled to evade fire.

"Keep at it, Braga" Koloth growled were he sat in his captains chair. "Korax, where are they heading?"

The ships second-in-command calculated the enemy vessels trajectory. "They appear to be heading for Korvat Six. Distance, five lightminutes. The Excelsior is redirecting power to their aft shields. They still have speed on their side, my lord."

The klingon warlord grunted. "Redirect power from our rear shields to engines." Koloth sneered as the battle turned into a game of cat and mouse. "Scanners! Tell me everything there is to know of that planet… They will not escape this day."

"Yes, my lord" the klingon in charge of the ships scanners and sensors acknowledged.

 **XXX XXX**

"How did you get past my guards?" Sulu demanded of Dax.

Curzon adjusted his coat after the struggle with commander Gars and walked on over to the captain. "My expertise is dealing with klingons, captain; you think that somehow does not include throwing a punch?"

"But you are not here to deal with klingons" Gars pointed out. "You are here to deal with romulans."

But Dax did not agree. "I am here to deal with klingons" he objected. "By exposing the romulans, I would gain Koloths trust, like I said before. Hiding in orbit of the sixth planet was always the backup plan. Once there, the klingons can't get to us, things will calm down and I can talk to them."

"Talk?!" Sulu chuckled. "Klingons do not talk, ambassador. Klingons maim and burn."

"Just because you don't understand klingons, captain, doesn't mean I don't" Curzon countered.

"I understand klingons better than most" Sulu frowned.

"You know how to fight them, captain" Dax argued. "But I know how to talk to them."

"Gentlemen!" Karalga cut in, stepping in between the two. "The klingons are still hunting us, and wont go away just because we hide in a dust-cloud. We are cut off from Starfleet and the klingons will kill us all given the chance. This is not the time to be governed by our emotions and let stupid pride dictate our actions."

Tuvok quirked an eyebrow. "As a vulcan, I can only agree."

"We hide" Dax said, "and let the klingons calm down. Right now, they are driven by bloodlust, but once we are in hiding their adrenaline levels will lower; and then I can talk to them. Trust me, captain."

"Trust you?" Sulu said. "You're a lying politician, ambassador, committed to an unsanctioned mission. Why should I trust you."

Curzon Dax sighed. "Because if Koloth does not sit down and talk with me, he will kill us all."

 **XXX XXX**

The USS Excelsior rushed for all its worth through space, the IKS Gr'oth in hot pursuit as they closed in on the sixth planet of the Korvat system; a green gas-giant with a thick ribbon of rings around it. The klingon vessel fired its disruptors every now and then, at times striking its target, but more often missing. Even so, the Excelsiors shields were slowly being drained of power.

"Cowards" Korax frowned. "I never thought Hikaru of Akira would run like a ferengi from a fight."

Koloth studied the main screen of the bridge and the Federation vessel centered on it. Sitting in his captains chair, he was casually leaning against his bat'leth, the weapon itself resting against the seat between his legs.

"He is up to something" Koloth said with a low growl escaping his throat. "Are we certain that their warpdrive is functional?"

"Yes, my lord" Korax assured the klingon warlord. "Their primary systems are fully operational."

"Strange" Koloth said, thinking out loud. Glancing at his console, he noted the fact that the Starfleet vessel had redirected power from their forward shields to strengthen their rear. "Weapons Master" he said and got up on his feet.

"My lord?" the klingon said who was in charge of additional weapon-systems, other than the forward-facing ones controlled by Braga, the cruisers pilot.

Koloth walked over to the Weapon Masters station with determined strides. "On my command, launch a torpedo along this trajectory."

"Of course" the Weapons Master said, somewhat perplexed as he watched Koloth enter the equation for the torpedoes intended path, "but to what end?"

Koloths reply was cold and to the point. "Victory."

 **XXX XXX**

"One minute away from destination" the lieutenant operating the helm-station said.

Karalga nodded with some relief as she relayed her findings. "The gravimetric proportions of that small moon will disrupt klingon sensor-readings. We should wait with diving into the rings until we are behind it. If successful, we will simply vanish from klingon sensors."

"Good work, lieutenant commander" Sulu said and turned to his helmsman. "Mister Shatner, perform as suggested by our chief science officer."

"Aye, captain" came the reply as the order was acknowledged.

"Klingons firing torpedo!" Commander Gars reported and pressed a series of keys on her console. "Strange" she then said.

Dax and Sulu turned to face her with curious expressions.

"Explain?" Sulu said.

"The torpedo is not locked on to us, captain" Gars said as she studied her readings. "The klingons launched it blind. It will miss us with three light-seconds to spare."

Handalma could only sigh with relief. "I don't mind if they keep wasting ammo all day long."

"Entering lunar orbit" lieutenant Shatner by the helm informed the bridge-personnel.

The torpedo shot past, missing the USS Excelsior with hundreds of miles. But as the Excelsior-class starship was about to enter orbit around the small moon, the torpedo vanished in a curved trajectory in behind the lunar satellite along its opposite horizon. Grabbed by gravity, the torpedo was flung around the moon, until it appeared directly ahead of the USS Excelsior.

 **XXX XXX**

On the IKS Gr'oth, Korax stood leaning in over the Weapons Master and his station. "Torpedo has broken free from orbit!"

Koloth stood up, pushing himself out of his chair. "Lock on to target!"

 **XXX XXX**

Commander Nathalie Gars was lit up by her screens flashing red. "Klingon torpedo has locked on to our sensor-array!"

Sulu held on tight to his armrests. "Raise shields!"

Handalma, seated at the Ops-station, turned pale in the face. "Too late!"

The klingon torpedo hit the USS Excelsior, slamming into the main sensor-dish, ripping apart a quarter of the ships secondary hull, violently rupturing the structural integrity of the starship as superheated plasma forced bulkheads to burst and melt. Everyone not secured to a chair was thrown to the floor. Dax rolled until he slammed up against the bridges main screen. Consoles exploded with showers of sparks, fires erupted and floor, walls and ceiling buckled. Red lights flashed on every deck, in every compartment. A siren echoed through every corridor and hallway, screaming out the urgency of the situation.

"Get us into cover!" Sulu shouted, strapped tightly into his chair. "Now!"

"Redirecting power to inertia-dampeners!" lieutenant Shatner said, relaying his actions. "Thrusters set to maximum effect! Hold on!"

Everyone was thrown to the side as the Excelsior made a sudden dive towards the rings of the planet, the hull of the ship itself complaining loudly as momentum was forcefully redirected. Gars unbuckled herself and hurried over to Curzon Dax who was trying to hold on as best he could, lying on the floor beneath the large forward view-screen. With help from Gars, Dax found an empty seat and was secured in place by the commander, after which she returned to her own station.

Ensign Tuvok was not optimistic as they were about to hit the outer edges of the rings. "Captain, our forward shields and the deflector field were both damaged by the torpedo and are not operating at maximum efficiency. They will not shield us from larger pieces of debris."

Sulu opted to ignore the warning. "We have no other choice, ensign. Mister Shatner, take us in!"

The USS Excelsior dove at full speed into the massive cloud of dust and debris surrounding the planet in the shape of impressive rings. Plowing through particles, shards of ice and pieces of rock, larger objects was not pushed aside by the protective deflector-field and consequently smashed into the hull of the Excelsior, one by one, time and time again, denting and tearing at the hull and causing further damage in the exposed gash where the sensor-dish previously had been positioned. The ship shook, trembled as if forced to endure a severe earthquake, slowly shaking the entire vessel apart.

On the bridge, the shaking caused the ceiling to collapse and fall in; piping, cables and equipment falling down from above at random. The lieutenant commander at Ops took a heavy hit to the head and the xindo-arboreal fell unconscious to the floor; Sulu reacted by instinct and hurried over to take control of the station and its console. Gars came over with a medical-kit and began treating Handalma for head-injuries.

"Ease down, mister Shatner" Sulu told the lieutenant to his left. "We should be deep enough by now."

"Aye, captain" the lieutenant said and slowed the ship down, and as a result, the ship calmed down and the violent tremors faded.

Sulu surveyed his bridge and the damage to it, not to mention his bashed and bruised crew. Commander Gars, back on her feet, did the same.

"I'll organize repair-efforts" Gars said, breathing heavily from stress. "You'll have a damage-report within the hour."

Sulu nodded, resting with an arm against the Ops-station. "Get to work, Nathalie. And hurry" he said, "the klingons are still out there."

"Yes, captain."

"Captain" Tuvok said as he got out of his chair and moved over to an engineering-station; the engineer assigned to the station being treated for a broken arm on the floor next to the station itself. "With the loss of our bow-mounted projector-cells, our deflectors will not shield us from debris, and our shields will not prevent the klingons from transporting onboard. I will compensate by phasing ventral and dorsal deflector and shield projector-cells, while venting epsilon-radiation from our warp-nacelles; if my calculations are correct, it will provide us with an intact energy-field around the ship, protecting us from all but the largest pieces of debris, but more importantly, it will deny the klingons to board us from afar."

 **XXX XXX**

The pilot of the Gr'oth, Braga, cursed as he realized that there was no way he could hit the Excelsior where it currently was hiding. The density of the rings did not allow any disruptor-fire or torpedo to burst through to expose the Starfleet vessel for a direct attack.

"Extensive damage throughout the Federation ship" the officer operating sensors reported, almost casually as he spoke over his shoulder, giving the details on the enemy vessel.

"We can not shoot at them" Korax concluded, "and we can not board them" he added and then spat at the floor. "All we can do is starve them out."

Koloth sat in his chair, bat'leth resting in his arms across his torso, as he listened to his officers. "This targ-hunt is nearing its end" Koloth grinned, "the beast has retreated to its den and all that remains is to smoke it out. Today… Hikaru, son of Akira, dies."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie Marcus-Kirk, hidden by cloak and hood, took a careful look around her. The hallway was empty and silent. Someone talking further down the maze of corridors could be heard, but they were nowhere in sight, with no evidence of coming closer. Emelie stepped up to a door that was sealed off with a holographic image that told the public that local law-enforcement prevented entrance. Emelie had no intention of respecting that seal; retrieving a bypass-key from an inner-pocket, she soon enough had overwritten the locking-mechanism and, opening the door, stepped through.

Malyr Glint Ungor. That was the name of the bolian who had lived here. Working with traffic-control up until a day or so ago, when he had been found dead in his apartment. Suicide according to official records. Emelie knew better. Paq, the disgusting ferengi, had hinted that the bolian had been murdered, for having information that was of great interest to the young woman.

The small flashlight in her hand lit up most of each room as she walked through them in turn. Four rooms all in all, small by Federation standards, but adequate for being a frontier-world. No sign of struggle, things in order, no laundry lying about or even an empty glass left on a table. Neat, tidy, clean. Too clean.

The tricorder told her where the body had been found; traces of blood, sweat and grease still in the fabric of the chair. Emelie wasn't sure what she was hoping to find, not even sure she would find anything at all. Local authorities had been here after all, investigating the death of Malyr Glint Ungor. Yet, this bolian, now dead, had found something that could be linked to the romulans operating on Korvat, and Emelie had to find out what.

She moved her tricorder over each piece of furniture, scanned clothing and shoes, doublechecked readings from floors and ceiling. But it was when she moved the tricorder across a painting on the bedroom wall that something stood out; the tricorder indicated tiny dots of fresh paint, dried, but recently applied non-the-less. She quickly realized the dots where arranged in various clusters, but why was more elusive. Seven dots in one group, five in another, twelve in a third. All in all, five clusters or groups.

Emelie took a moment to look at the readings of her tricorder, glancing at the painting in between. Doing so, she eventually thought upon the groups of dots and the number of dots in each group. Whispering the number of dots to herself, she eventually had an idea, a theory.

"Coordinates" she said, and a smile grew on her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

The senior staff of the USS Excelsior sat gathered in the main briefing-room. The mood was somber to say the least.

"Thirty-two dead, one hundred and eight wounded" chief medical officer Augustus Eckenwald said. "Of the wounded, eleven will most likely die within twenty-four hours."

"My god."

"Gods can't help us now, commander" Sulu reminded his first officer. "Mister Shrav" he then said, turning to the andorian chief engineer, "is the warpdrive still functional?"

"Yes, captain" the blue-skinned alien nodded. "The ship is still operational, apart from sensors being destroyed, along with our forward torpedo-bay and phaser-banks. We have lost a lot of storage, and with it food and equipment. We did lose a fifth of our water-supply, but what remains is secured."

Karalga rested her elbows against the table. "It is only a matter of time before the klingons discover a way to attack us. We should consider retreating to Federation space."

"Starfleet has lost contact with us" Eckenwald pointed out. "They will send reinforcements, if only to make sure we are alright. All we need to do is sit tight and be patient."

Gars sneered. "Our patience killed thirty of our crew. The question is, how patient should we be before we take action?"

"That's enough, commander" Sulu intervened before his second in command let her emotions get the better of her. "First, what is the status of Handalma?"

"Confined to sickbay for the next couple of days" Eckenwald said. "His skull took a nasty hit."

Sulu nodded. "Right" then turned to the two lieutenants joining the briefing. "Lieutenant Angred, you are now Acting Senior Officer of Operations, until lieutenant commander Handalma is released from sickbay."

"Yes, captain" the tellarite replied with a slight nod of his head.

Sulu then addressed the human lieutenant wearing the brown of Starfleet Security. "Mister Atl, since lieutenant commander Gambon is missing in action, presumed dead, you are hereby promoted in the field to the rank of lieutenant commander and chief of security."

"Of course, sir" the lieutenant said, truly surprised by the sudden promotion.

"Before we do anything" Sulu then said, "we need shields to be in working order. Without shields, we can't leave the safety of these rings. I want options, ladies and gentlemen. Outside the box thinking; how do we neutralize the klingons?"

The first to speak was Shrav. "The vulcans little trick has prevented the klingons from beaming aboard, but he phased every dorsal and ventral projector-cell. If we go into a fight now, we will only have aft-shields operational. If we are to make it out of this alive, we need to neutralize the klingon weapons somehow."

"How long to repair the cells?" Gars wondered.

"In spacedock" Shrav said, "eight hours per cell. But we are talking forty cells in total, in the middle of a planetary ring. Even if we had all the parts required, it would still…"

"What can be done and how long do you need?" Sulu interrupted, focusing the andorian to solve the problem instead of drowning in it.

Shrav sighed and did some calculations in his head. "Partial shielding, maybe thirty percent at the most. Twelve hours per cell, but we only have spare-parts to repair half of them. And we need as many as we can get up in working order, if we are to have a chance against the klingons."

"Get to work" Sulu said.

"Captain" the recently promoted chief of security said, joining the conversation. "The klingons will most likely try and board us. I suggest we spread out our weapons to personnel other than those authorized to carry phasers. Equip our security-officers with phaser-rifles and give their sidearms to other crewmembers. If the klingons get onboard, we will need as many guns firing as possible."

"Agreed" the captain nodded. "Make it so, lieutenant… sorry, lieutenant commander."

"There is a way to neutralize the klingon disruptors" Karalga then said. "Tetryon particles fuses the emitter-coils of energy-weapons, rendering such weapons useless. A large enough burst of tetryon particles, aimed at the klingon vessel, should turn the Gr'oths disruptors into very large and heavy paperweights."

Shrav was not all too sure about the idea. "The only tetryon-emitters we have are on two of our shuttles, to support our away-teams if they find themselves in trouble. One of those shuttles we left behind on Korvat. The one we have left has not the capability of having the effect you suggest on the size of cannons mounted on a klingon battle-cruiser."

"And they still have torpedoes" Eckenwald reminded them.

"The klingons have tetryon-devices onboard" lieutenant commander Atl said, a bit awkwardly pointing it out. "As they board enemy ships, or raid enemy colonies, they regularly deploy small bombs that flood an area with tetryon particles which forces their victims to defend themselves in hand to hand combat. If we somehow could find a way to detonate those devices, it would have the desired effect."

"Great" Eckenwald sneered. "Now all we have to do is board a klingon warship, blow up some bombs and then run the gauntlet with klingon torpedoes flying up our asses."

Gars had listened to the conversation, and surprised even herself as she became hopeful. "Those devices will have some form of detonators" she said. "It must be possible to use some form of radiation or energy-burst to force them to ignite and detonate from afar."

Sulu felt everyones eyes turning at him, waiting for a command-decision on the matter. Speculation and theories was one thing; in the end, only the captain could make the call to put it to the test.

"Mister Shrav, begin repairs of the projector-cells. Miss Karalga, find the type of particles we need to detonate those devices. When that is done, we build the delivery-system we require to give Koloth a nice surprise."

 **XXX XXX**

On the bridge, Dax walked over to a young vulcan ensign, glanced left and right and cleared his throat to get the pointy-eared aliens attention.

"Ambassador Dax" Tuvok said, looking up from his station. "Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact" the trill said, "you can. Am I to understand that the Gr'oths entire database was downloaded to the Excelsiors computer?"

"I believe that is on a need to know basis, ambassador" Tuvok replied coldly.

"Who downloaded it?" Dax asked rhetorically, hoping to ignite some curiosity in the vulcan. "Who on the klingon ship sent that transmission and who on the Excelsior received it?"

Ensign Tuvok leaned back into his chair as he gave it some thought. "Interesting" he eventually said and began a diagnostic of the ships computer-systems.

 **XXX XXX**

Captain Sulu, commander Gars and the chief science officer, along with lieutenant commander Atl, joined ensign Tuvok and Curzon Dax by a computer-console inserted into the wall of a corridor.

"The klingon database was downloaded to our systems via this station" Tuvok explained.

"How?" Sulu inquired.

Tuvok gave each officer present a brief glance. "Most likely, a portable device was connected to this station, a device that also acted as a receiver for the signal transmitted by the klingon vessel. The device received the signal and then, connected to this station, downloaded it to our computer."

"Can we locate this device?" Karalga wondered. "Perhaps we could locate the receiver by transmitting a similar signal?"

"I have already tried to determine the whereabouts of the device, and failed" Tuvok explained. "All that I can say for certain is that it is not on this ship."

Sulu took a look at the console in the wall and then turned to Tuvok. "So where is it?"

"We have a theory" Dax cut in and walked a few yards down the corridor, the others following closely behind. The trill stopped right next to an airlock. "Who ever did this managed to bypass the security-codes, enter the ship via the airlock undetected, hook up the receiver to the computer, download the files and then vanish without a trace."

Gars sighed. "So who ever did this, they're back on Korvat?"

"Not necessarily" Tuvok said, hands held crossed on his back. "It would be no surprise to the ones responsible for this that the klingons would immediately respond with violence. Leaving the airlock would place the guilty party in the middle of a battle; a hazardous environment to say the least, without factoring in vacuum. In order to survive, chances are that who ever is responsible never left the protection of our shields."

Sulu turned to Dax. "Are you saying they are still out there?"

Dax replied with a hint of a smile. "I'm saying we should take a look."

 **XXX XXX**

The rear hangar-bay doors opened up, revealing the interior of the Excelsior as a small shuttle exited through the protective forcefield that kept the hangar sealed off from cold space. Karalga stood between the seats of the cockpit, looking out the forward viewport as the shuttle turned and positioned itself to allow a spectacular view of the USS Excelsior; a spectacle ruined by the devastation left by the torpedo that had struck the ships sensor-array. To her right sat ensign Tuvok and to her left sat ensign Faradal, an aaamazzarite wearing the purple shirt of Operations beneath his Starfleet jacket.

Faradal, being the assigned pilot of the shuttle, took the small craft up over the Excelsiors secondary hull and in between the beams that held on to the warp-engines. Karalga was amazed at how the sheer size of the Excelsior dwarfed their shuttle and made her seem utterly insignificant in the greater scheme of things.

"The airlock of interest is up on the port side of the neck, about halfway up" Tuvok informed.

"Got it" the yellow-skinned pilot said and increased speed.

Karalga sat herself down by the science-station of the shuttle, located behind Tuvoks seat. "Radiation from the damage is causing slight interference, but nothing we can't adjust for" she said, working her keys, dials and switches. "A lot of particle-shadows" she said as she studied the readings, "caused by our own debris. Filtering."

"Ensign Faradal" Tuvok said as he adjusted his own sensors, "once we reach the airlock, take us up towards the saucer-section. Gentle ascension, if you please."

"Copy" the pilot said with a nod.

The shuttle traced the starship along its neck; beneath it the broken and twisted evidence of cause-and-effect as a photon-torpedo strikes solid matter, above them the wide, flat dish of the starships primary hull. Flying past viewports, crewmembers took some interest as they flew by, but Tuvok and Karalga payed them no attention in turn; their focus was committed to their screens and readings.

"Nothing" Karalga said. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Apart from the ship being blown up" Faradal commented.

"If someone is hiding out here" Karalga though out loud, "they need to hide where sensor-readings are naturally distorted. Thorium-fields generated by the nacelles could hide a shuttle from detection."

"But could not fool eye-sight" Tuvok pointed out. "Nor hide exhaust-vapors."

"Could they be cloaked?" Faradal wondered, turning to look at the two science-officers.

"Possibly, but unlikely" Tuvok said. "The power-source required to maintain a cloaking-field would affect radiation-readings from the Excelsior; while we would not be able to detect a cloaked vessel, we would be able to detect its presence in the way it affected our own emitions."

"The impulse-engines" Karalga then said and gained the attention of the vulcan science officer. "The particle exhausts from the impulse-engines could hide a small object. Ensign Faradal, take us over there."

"Yes, ma'am."

The shuttle soon found itself positioned next to the two enormous, red-glowing engines of the impulse-drive, the heat and radiation they generated causing a slight rippling effect around them.

"Adjusting for exhaust-particles" Karalga said as she operated her station. "Initiating a focused scan, tight beam for increased effect."

"No anomalies" Tuvok reported as he studied his own readings. "Everything is as it should be."

Karalga sighed and fell back into her chair, almost sulking. "So much for that theory."

"What we are looking for could have been destroyed by the klingon torpedo" Tuvok pointed out and turned his chair to face the chief science officer. "Though it escapes me how anything could have been hiding in the midst of our sensor-arrays, or that close to them."

"We have one anomaly."

Both Tuvok and Karalga turned to look at ensign Faradal. The aaamazzarite pointed out the viewport.

"Right between the engines" the yellowskinned, bald alien said. "Right on top the flux-capacitor."

"What about it?" Karalga wondered, trying to figure out what the pilot was pointing at.

"Ensign Faradal is correct" Tuvok said and operated his dials and switches. "There is an object attached to the Excelsior, right on top of the impulse-engines flux-capacitor. It appears that we have found what we are looking for."

 **XXX XXX**

"What is that?"

Sulu got out of his captains chair and walked over to position himself between the helm and ops-stations. Dax joined him as they both watched the video-feed provided by the shuttle that had discovered the object hiding between the impulse-engines.

Tuvoks voice was heard by all on the bridge. "Unknown, captain. But it is made out of familiar alloys and materials, the same materials Starfleet use for its own vessels. In simple terms, the object effectively blends in with our own ship."

Karalga was next to speak over the commlink. "The design of the object, in combination with its location, made it almost impossible to detect. What is interesting is that we believe we have located an airlock on the object, or a door at least."

Sulu nodded as he listened to the report. "Stay where you are. I am sending a second shuttle with a team of security-officers. Do not investigate further."

"Yes, captain."

Transmission was cut and Sulu turned to face the trill ambassador. "Romulans?" the captain asked of Curzon.

Curzon Dax sighed as he studied the object attached to the Excelsior. "That would be my guess, captain."

Sulu turned to face commander Nathalie Gars. "Inform the away-team to set their phasers to stun. Maybe the klingons will reconsider killing us if we can deliver romulan prisoners."

Gars took a deep breath as she heard the order given. "Yes, captain."

 **XXX XXX**

The long abandoned mine was a proper hazard to explore. Yet, Emelie had little other choice as the coordinates she had found pointed to this location. Cave-ins, combined with structural collapse at several places, did not make things easier, nor pools of toxic waste and air filled with dry dust. But it was the sound she was heading for that kept her going; the sound of voices. At first barely audible, then clearer and now she could even pick out three different people conversing. She crawled the last few meters, making sure to stay in cover and out of sight. Finding a good spot behind some rubble, she dared to take a look.

A larger room had been cleared of debris, reasonably at least. Computers had been set up, an antenna-cluster connected with thick cables to a power-source and Emelie could swear that a simple version of a teleport-platform had been put together over in the corner. Her tricorder did not work, it hadn't since she had arrived here; she figured the equipment here included a jamming device of some kind to avoid detection.

"D'jalel!"

Emelie ducked into cover, almost thinking they had spotted her. But she was safe, for now. Instead, a female entered view and walked up to the two men operating the computers. All three were bald with pointed ears and faces covered with tattoos.

Romulans.

"What is it, Toldol?" the female romulan said as she walked over to the other two.

"The Excelsior has not reemerged. They are hiding in the rings" Toldol said and pointed at the readings on his displays. "There is no way for the klingons to get to them."

"Why are they still here?" the third of the romulans wondered, looking at the other two. "Why did they go to the sixth planet? They had every opportunity to return to Federation space."

"It could be that they hope that their officers, that they deployed to the surface, are still alive" D'jalel said. She studied the information on their screens, telling them of the situation between the klingon and Starfleet vessels.

"We should detonate the Federation torpedo" Toldol suggested. "It will urge the Excelsior to exploit the situation and flee. They need to be pushed in the right direction."

"No" D'jalel said after having given the option a few seconds of thought. "We will wait. If we are too rash, everything will fall apart."

Emelie struggled to control her breathing. Romulans. They were actually here on Korvat, and, they were monitoring the Excelsior and the Gr'oth. It did little to calm her down, yet, retrieving the phaser from her inner-pocket made her feel somewhat safer than before.

 **XXX XXX**

Karalga, Tuvok and Faradal looked on as the second shuttle slowly closed in on the strange object that was hiding between the impulse-engines, attached to the hull itself of the USS Excelsior.

"No life-signs onboard that thing?"

The voice of commander Gars was carried over the commlink. Tuvok pressed the switch that activated their own shuttles communication.

"None" the vulcan replied. "We get no readings from it at all. The nature of the impulse-drive is blocking out our sensors completely. Simply put, it is the best place to hide on the entire ship."

Onboard the other shuttle, Gars sighed as ensign Tuvok confirmed that they were acting blind. Commander Nathalie Gars accepted the situation and placed a hand on her pilots shoulder.

"Take us in, lieutenant. Hold at ten meters" Gars said.

"Yes, sir" the pilot acknowledged and did as ordered.

Gars stepped through the airlock of the cockpit and sealed it behind her, joining six other crewmembers in the shuttles rear compartment. All were dressed in spacesuits, solid parts clear white and softer materials in the color of respective department. Gars was wearing yellow, indicating Command, three officers had the brown of Security, one wore the red of Engineer and the last two wore blue; light blue indicating a medical officer and deep blue of the science officers. Gars adjusted the helmet and made sure it was secured to her suit.

"Listen up" she said over the commlink and got everyones attention. "We don't know what is on that thing or what we will find inside. Lieutenant Rork and Sjoberg, you will stay behind in the shuttle until called for" she said, looking at the medic and science officer. "Ensign Vladorim, you will open the airlock and then pull back immediately" she told the engineer on the team. "Once the airlock on the object is open, lieutenant Haji will enter; when she is satisfied, we can go in. Understood?"

The team displayed no hesitation or had any questions.

"Good" Gars said. "Let's go."

Tuvok and the others in his shuttle watched as Gars and her team left the confines of their shuttle, and relying on the small thrusters on their spacesuits backpacks, they moved the final distance to the object and positioned themselves tactically for a breach of the airlock.

"It looks like a pod of some kind" Gars said over the commlink, audible to both the other shuttle and the people on the bridge. "Secured to our hull with four magnetic clamps. At an estimate, could hold maybe three or four humanoids inside. No antennas or any sensors visible on the outside. No viewports."

Ensign Vladorim, the engineer, floated over to the pod and the presumed airlock. He found no controls of any kind on the hull of the pod, so retrieved a tool to forcefully open the door.

"Spread out" Gars said. "If we cause a decompression, objects might come flying out."

Gars, along with the security officers, aimed their right arm at the door, placing their left hand on the wrist-mounted phaser that was specifically designed for the space-suits. Vladorim pulled the lever and the door slid open, and as it did, air rushed out violently along with datapads and smaller devices. Before anyone had time to react, two persons ejected out of the top of the pod, flying away strapped into their seats and propelled by a small impulse-drive attached to the seats themselves.

"Two humanoids just ejected from the pod!" Gars informed everyone listening to their transmission. "Everyone, get back to the shuttle! We're going after them!"

Tuvok quickly operated his controls. "With their current mass and velocity, they will be able to penetrate our deflector-field in its current condition."

Karalga quickly found her seat. "Pilot, head after them. We'll catch them with our tractor-beam."

"Yes, sir!" Faradal said and ignited the shuttles engines.

While Gars and her team climbed back into their own shuttle, Faradal had already turned his shuttle around and was increasing speed to intercept the two fleeing humanoids.

On the bridge of the USS Excelsior, Sulu, Dax and the others followed the events on screens and displays.

Karalga adjusted the tractor-beam of the shuttle with the turn of a dial. "Locked on to the left target. Activating tractor-beam… now!"

The tractor-beam did as intended, grabbing hold of the ejector-seat. But the person sitting in it unstrapped himself and relied on his spacesuits thrusters to keep him going, still fleeing the Starfleet officers.

"Right target has past through the deflector-field" Tuvok said. "Left target should not be able to outrun us."

Faradal swept by the free-floating ejector-seat and headed after the humanoid that had left the chair behind. Moments later, the shuttle carrying Gars and her team hurried to keep up. To Karalgas dismay, the spacesuit-flying humanoid up ahead was using his thrusters to good effect, changing course every other second to throw off any attempt to lock on to him.

Karalga frowned. "I can't get a lock!"

On the bridge, Sulu turned to the senior engineer. "Get a transporter on-line and beam that bastard onboard!"

"Yes, captain!" came the reply in response to the order given.

In the shuttle, Tuvok coldly calculated the situation. "Secondary target will pass through our deflector-field in ten seconds. Beyond that point he, or she, will be out of our reach."

Eventually, the second fleeing humanoid vanished out into the dense dust-clouds of the rings of Korvat Six. On the bridge, Sulu slammed a fist against the armrest of his chair. Outside, both shuttles followed the two mysterious humanoids out into the brownish clouds of the rings that provided them all with cover from the hostile klingons.

Tuvok, carefully managing his station, opened a link to the shuttle that transported commander Gars and her team. "Commander" the vulcan said, "I believe I can follow their exhaust-trail, though it is deteriorating fast. If you follow us, I might be able to guide you to them and allow us to capture them, who ever they are."

Gars, having removed her helmet and had joined the pilot in the cockpit, was relieved at the vulcans efficiency. "Good work, ensign" she responded. "We're right behind you."

It was a slow advance into the murky depths of the rings, shards of ice and boulders of rock emerging out of nowhere through the thick clouds of dust.

 **XXX XXX**

High above, thousands of miles away from the USS Excelsior, the IKS Gr'oth hovered in silence; a predator stalking its prey, waiting for the time to strike and kill.

"There, my lord" Korax said and pointed at the main screen. "Two objects leaving the Excelsior. Shuttlecraft by the looks of it."

"Beyond their deflector-field?" Koloth said, thinking out loud as he realized the distance that was increasing between the shuttles and the mothership. "What ever they're up to, I want them stopped. Deploy fighters."

Korax smiled with a growl. "Yes, my lord."

From the belly of IKS Gr'oth, two combat-orientated shuttles emerged, deployed wings and gun-mounts and ignited their thrusters, heading for the rings at maximum velocity.

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie peered around the corner of her cover, being only seven or eight meters away from the three romulans. She was breathing so hard she was worried that they might hear her, a fact that had her grip her phaser tighter still, doublechecking once more that it was set to kill.

"Lena and Vreno have left the pod" Toldol said. "I'm sure of it."

"And the klingons have deployed two gunships" the other romulan male said. "We must act now."

"Now is not the time" D'jalel stubbornly held to her position on the matter. "Sulu is not prepared to leave. If we interfere now, we risk that he stays here even longer. Once the Excelsior is ready to run, that is the time for us to act. Remember, Sulu must escape with the klingon data intact, or at least, the klingons must believe it."

"What of Lena and Vreno?" Toldol asked. "In that cloud, we wont be able to lock on to them with our transporter. Not at this range."

D'jalel simply sighed. "As long as they are in that cloud, they are on their own."

A red light began flashing on a console and Toldol quickly investigated. "It's the cardassian captain and that ferengi" he said with contempt. "They're at the entrance."

D'jalel was less than amused. "What now?" she almost growled. "Come on."

All three left the room with all the equipment, much to Emelies surprise. As their steps faded, she found her breathing calming somewhat. Only to increase in intensity again as she realized she had an opportunity to take a closer look at the romulans computers. She swallowed, took a moment to think things through, and then carefully, with phaser ready and one step at a time, headed over to the computers.


	8. Chapter 8

The heavy hatch slid open and the three romulans, dressed in heavy coats and wearing gasmasks, stepped out onto the landing-platform where a cardassian shuttle had landed. Waiting for them was a ferengi and a cardassian, along with two cardassian bodyguards.

"D'jalel" the cardassian said, wind pulling on his clothes and hair, "how good to see you again."

"Why are you here, Rukat?" the female romulan asked demandingly of Director Rukat.

"The ferengi has some interesting news" the cardassian said. "About people looking for you."

D'jalel found the piece of information odd. "Looking? For me?"

Paq grinned out of confidence and arrogance. "For the right price, I will reveal what I know. All I can say is that it involves a human and a vulcan."

D'jalel glanced over her shoulder back at Toldol, then looked back at the two guests to their hideout. "Director" she then said, "would you mind if I brought the ferengi inside for questioning?"

Director Rukat casually offered the now cautious ferengi a brief look before facing the female romulan once more. "Not at all" he said, signaled his two guards with a gesture and within a second or two, Paq was grabbed by the cardassian guards.

"Wait!" Paq squealed. "Wait! Let's not get hasty! Let's be sensible about this!"

D'jalel walked over to the ferengi, grabbed him by the collar of his coat and raised him into the air until he was face to face with the romulan. "Tell me what you know, filth, before I skin you alive."

Sweating by now, Paq swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. "The human and the vulcan, they asked questions about you, about romulans hiding on Korvat. They knew."

The ferengi was thrown to the floor of the platform and was once more grabbed by the cardassian guards. D'jalel turned to her fellow romulans, "Secure the hideout!"

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie managed to sync a datapad through her tricorder with the romulan computers, and a download was well underway. With phaser in one hand, she was using the other to navigate the romulan systems. The language-barrier was not an issue, since both romulan and klingon were required classes once assigned to Starfleet Intelligence.

"Target!"

The one word, shouted in romulan, made Emelie instinctively throw herself into cover and a brief moment later a disruptor-bolt flashed past overhead, striking the far wall. Emelie reached over the computers, grabbed her datapad and pulled it to her as another disruptor-bolt missed her by mere inches.

Emelie fired blindly at the romulans as she ran for cover across the Tal Shiar hideout, the three romulans firing their disruptors in turn as they moved from cover to cover in pursuit of the intruder. Sparks showered the area with each shot that missed and detonated against solid matter, leaving hot glowing pits in the walls and structures.

Emelie returned fire, managing to keep the romulans at bay, when suddenly two cardassians joined in on the fighting, armed with cardassian phaser-rifles; the larger weapons causing much more damage upon impact and covered Emelie in showers of sparks as the cardassian rifles hit objects surrounding her. She realized she was doomed.

 **XXX XXX**

A large rock, dotted with craters, almost like a small moon, emerged out of the thick cloud of dust; pieces of rock and ice bouncing of the shuttles shields as it followed a distinct trail through the rings.

"It would appear as if they both have headed for the large rock" Tuvok said, turning a dial to compensate for gravimetrics as he kept track of the exhaust-vapors left behind by the two fleeing strangers. "Possibly in an attempt to hide."

On the other shuttle, Gars stood next to the pilot and watched the shuttle carrying Karalga and Tuvok up ahead. "Alright, we'll take over from here" she said over the commlink. "Lieutenant commander Karalga, I advice you to support us with sensors-sweeps; we're going in after them."

Karalga nodded as she head the order. "Affirmative, commander" she said and prepared the shuttles sensors by working the systems of her console.

Tuvok felt the need to address an issue before anything else took place. "Commander Gars, may I remind you that we have no contact with the Excelsior at this point. The composition of the rings will effectively distort radio-signals at this range from the Excelsior; we have no means of communication with anyone else, besides ourselves."

Gars, now standing in the rear compartment of her shuttle together with the rest of her team, adjusted her helmet so it would lock in place. "Ensign" she said, "if you can't solve that problem, then your orders are to return to the Excelsior if my team is jeopardized. Understood?"

"Indeed, commander" was Tuvoks response.

Faradal, Tuvok and Karalga watched as the other shuttle flew past them and eventually deployed the away-team; the officers wearing space-suits approached the large rock with the use of their suits impulse-thrusters. Both shuttles activated their searchlights to aid the away-team, chasing away shadows on the surface.

"Are you sure, ensign, that they went down there?" Karalga wondered, studying her readings. "Because I have no heat-readings or bio-signs of any kind on that rock."

Tuvok turned his seat around to face his chief science officer. "May I remind you, lieutenant commander, that we are most likely dealing with two field-operatives of the Tal Shiar. Their equipment will be of the highest standard, not to mention, they will be experts in deception and counter-tactics. More over, as we pursued them, we were unable to detect heat or bio-signatures from them. If they are in hiding on that satellite, remains to be seen."

Karalga cleared her throat as she was corrected by the vulcan. "I was just asking a question, ensign" she said in response to the logical conclusion of the situation.

 **XXX XXX**

"And we can't increase the signal to push through?" Sulu wondered, standing next to the main communications-station on the bridge.

"No, captain" the lieutenant said, having disregarded his jacket and was only wearing the orange shirt of the Specialists. "Increasing the output will only cause the signal to widen and dissipate even sooner. The only way to get in touch with the shuttles is if we decrease distance to them. Sorry, captain."

"Lieutenant Angred" Sulu then said and turned to the tellarite that was acting chief of operations, "see what probes we have left and operational. We need to deploy a relay between us and the away-team."

"A probe?" the tellarite inquired, sounding a bit offended. "Captain, I am chief of operations; the ship is in need of repairs, we need to ration food and resources…"

"Now, lieutenant!" Sulu barked and instantly the tellarite offered a salute and headed off to perform as ordered.

Following the tellarite for a moment, Dax shook his head as he turned to Captain Sulu. "You honestly have tellarites onboard? Why?"

"Says the man who sits down for a drink with klingons" Sulu remarked as he studied data on the communications-displays.

Dax shrugged his shoulders. "At least klingons have a sense of humor."

"Incoming objects!"

Sulu immediately headed for science-station two, with Dax in tow. "Report" the captain demanded as he came up to the officer manning the station.

"Two solid unidentified flying objects on an intercept trajectory with our shuttlecraft" the science-officer said. "Appeared suddenly out of nowhere a mile or so beneath the klingon vessel, accelerated for eight seconds and have kept a constant velocity ever since. I'm sorry captain, but without sensors we were lucky to spot them at all."

"Klingon attack-craft" Dax said and gained Sulus attention. "Your shuttles are unarmed, captain; they don't stand a chance."

Sulu turned to his chief of security. "Mister Atl! Prepare an away-team, as heavily armed as possible!"

"Aye, captain!"

"There is another way" Dax said and Sulu eyed him with some suspicion. "Send your away-team as a precaution, but there is one more option I believe you should consider."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie huddled together behind the rubble that protected her from incoming fire, but it did not shield her from flying debris, dust and sparks sent airborne by detonating energy-bolts striking solid matter. Covered in sot and dust, Emelie fired several rounds at the ceiling, causing a small cave-in somewhere between her and her enemies; it gave her enough time to get on her feet and run for her only chance of escape.

As the dust settled around the cave-in, and the romulans and cardassians started to make their way around the rocks and twisted structures, Emelie ran aboard a small shuttlecraft and almost jumped into the pilots seat. Activating the small vessel, igniting engines and powering up computers, she hit the controls to the airlock and the boarding-ramp began to close. With inches to spare, a romulan managed to slide inside, just before the closing ramp would have crushed him dead. Emelie hit the thrusters, the back-blast from the engines forcing all other hostiles to throw themselves into cover.

Shooting out from the abandoned mines, the shuttle began climbing towards the skies. But as the romulan threw himself over Emelie, the craft began to veer off, its pitch and yaw erratic as the two combatants struggled in the cockpit. Emelie was no match for the romulan, his years of experience and training having been enough without the fact that a romulan on average was three times stronger than an ordinary human. His arms had her in a vicious neck-lock she could not escape, and slowly he was squeezing the life out of her.

In desperation, she grabbed hold of his ear and ripped it clean off. The romulan screamed from pain and let go of the young human female; Emelie elbowed her assailant in the gut, turned the chair and kicked him with both feet, sending him tumbling all the way back up against the airlock. Emelie quickly spun around, facing the controls and slammed the keys that operated the airlock; as the door opened, the romulan almost roared as he held on to the edges of the open airlock, relying on all his strength not to lose his grip and be flung outside.

Emelie pushed the engines to the full and pulled the controls to her as hard as she could. The shuttle took a sudden turn and headed directly away from the planet; it was more than the romulan could handle and he was violently thrown out of the small craft, momentum sending him flying through the air until he slammed into the side of a mountain, reducing him to nothing but a splatter of blood and flesh and splinters of bone.

Emelie sealed the airlock once more, took a moment to catch her breath, trying to ignore the pain of her swollen throat, and felt relief as she eventually left atmosphere behind her.

 **XXX XXX**

Commander Gars and her away-team landed on the large rock and had their phasers ready, attached as they were to the wrists of their suits. The science-officer on the team, however, relied on scanning-device instead.

"Nothing within fifty meters" he said, holding a small sensor-dish in one hand and the accompanying readings-display in the other.

Over the commlink, Tuvoks voice could be heard. "According to my calculations, they should have landed seventy-two meters ahead of commander Gars, at heading three, six, eight."

Looking around, Gars soon spotted the area. "A crater" she said. "Karalga, scan that crater as best you can. Away-team, move up. Be careful."

The three officers wearing the brown space-suits took point, being security-personnel, following by Gars wearing the yellow outfit of Command Department, the engineer, the medic and the science officer making up the rear. Overhead, the two shuttles moved over to cover the crater with their sensors and searchlights.

Faradal, operating the shuttle carrying Tuvok and Karalga, relied on his visual scanning as he studied the interior of the crater. "There's nothing down there."

"Patience" Tuvok said while managing his systems. "We will find them."

"Well, they seem to be unarmed" Karalga concluded. "I have no energy-readings of any kind. The only energy-weapons down there are the ones used by our away-team."

Tuvok, adjusting his sensors, was not optimistic by the report. "That does not rule out weaponry" he simply stated.

Gars followed the security-officers as they made their way over the ridge and began a cautious descent into the crater. Two large beams of light shot down from overhead, illuminating everything from above, removing almost every shadow. The entire away-team was soon enough at the bottom of the crater, setting up a perimeter before moving any further.

"Alright, Karalga" Gars said. "Let's hear it."

"Not much to tell, I'm afraid" the kaitian female replied over the commlink. "We see no energy-readings of any kind. No radiation at all. I'm almost certain they are hiding somewhere else."

Gars sighed. "Which means we've lost them" she realized.

In the shuttle, Tuvok was forced to agree. "By now, their vapor-trails have dissipated and it is impossible to conclude where they might have gone to. If they indeed are not in that crater, it will be near impossible to locate them."

"Son of a..!" Gars cut herself off before finishing the sentence, biting her lip.

One of the security-officers moved a bit further up ahead, settling down next to a stalagmite. He studied something up ahead, unable to figure out what he was looking at.

"Commander" he said. "I think I've found a cave-entrance."

Gars regained hope. "Karalga, did you copy that?"

"Yes, commander" the kaitian said, "adjusting sensors."

Suddenly, the security-officer was hit by a projectile that pierced his suit in the abdomen, causing a massive atmospheric leak, air mixed with blood rushing out of the gash. The medic and the engineer quickly grabbed the wounded officer before the pressure released by the torn suit caused him to fly off. The two remaining security-officers returned fire, aiming their shots in the relative direction of the supposed cave.

"Man down!" Gars said over the commlink. "Repeat, man down!"

The second shuttles pilot responded immediately. "Coming down, prepare for extraction."

Another security-officer was hit, this time in the arm, and Gars was forced to reach out and grab her to prevent her from spinning off into space, dragging her down into cover. The medic on the team did his best to seal both the wound and the tear in the suit of the first victim, not an easy prospect in lunar gravity. Things was not made any easier as the wound had been inflicted by a ballistic of some sort, a solid rod of metal to be more precise.

Gars moved the other wounded security-officer over to the three non-combatants on the away-team, while the last of the security-officers did his best to provide cover-fire. As the away-teams shuttle came in and began positioning itself overhead, Gars turned around and fired her own phaser, hoping to force the enemy into cover by randomly firing in the direction where the enemy might be hiding.

As the away-team looked up, they saw the ventral-hatch on the shuttle slide open and reveal the interior of the craft. Preparing to fly up to safety, they grabbed their wounded while Gars and the last of the security-officers kept firing. It was with no warning that the shuttle suddenly was blown apart by incoming disruptor-fire, sending it crashing into the side of the crater, causing yet another explosion as the fuel-cells detonated on impact.

Tuvok quickly realized what was going on. "Two klingon D3 attack-craft inbound. I suggest evasive action, mister Faradal."

The aaamazzarite did not need to be told twice as he immediately took off and narrowly escaped being hit by incoming fire as one of the klingon vessels began an attack-run aimed at the last remaining Starfleet shuttle. Faradal used the uneven terrain of the massive rock to avoid incoming disruptor-bolts fired by the D3 vessels cannons.

Karalga was nearing panic as she activated the commlink. "Excelsior, do you copy?! We are under attack by klingon gunships! I repeat, we are under attack!"

"They are unable to hear you, lieutenant commander" Tuvok coldly stated over his shoulder back at the kaitian chief science officer. "May I suggest that you concentrate your efforts on providing ensign Faradal with the engine-power he requires in order to prevent the klingons from overtaking us? I shall labor to keep our shields intact."

Faradal flinched as a disruptor-bolt shot past his cockpit and blasted a rock-formation to dust up ahead. "What ever you're gonna do, do it fast!"

 **XXX XXX**

The stolen shuttle had left Korvat behind and was heading into deep space. In the cockpit, Emelie was trying to make sense of the situation.

"There you are" she said as she eventually found the Excelsior. "What the hell are you doing over there?" she thought out loud as she tuned her sensors, having spotted the Federation vessel in orbit around the sixth planet in the system.

Turning to her left, she tried to establish a connection with the USS Excelsior through subspace, but something was clearly interfering with all her attempts. Frustrated, she tried to come up with another option, another solution.

"Okay" she said as she began thinking about the problem at hand. "They are five light-minutes away, five minutes at the speed of light… Subspace is scrambled, so how do I get in touch? Think, think, think… Why did I cheat on the engineering class. Think god damn it."

She sighed out of frustration as she fell back into the pilots-seat, looking at each console and group of keys and dials in the cockpit in turn, each screen and display.

"Alright" she eventually said. "Five minutes at the speed of light. The best I can do without subspace and without a tachyon-emitter. A photonic burst, aimed at the Excelsior, should gain the attention of a science-nerd. A reuccuring pulse should tell them it is not a natural event, they will study it and realize it contains Morse code…" she stopped to think it through one more time and eventually allowed herself to smile. "Brilliant!"

Turning to her right, she rearranged the sensors to perform as she wanted them to and then connected the sensors to the shuttles communications-system.

"USS Excelsior, this is lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk, Starfleet Intelligence, identification number one, eight, nine, four, six, six, two, seven, delta, gamma, five, six, nine, omega, pi, zero. I have discovered romulan agents on Korvat and copied their computer-files. They have agents attached to the hull of both the Excelsior and the IKS Gr'oth with orders to force both ships into conflict. I repeat; romulans are trying to get both ships to open fire upon one-another. This is lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk, Starfleet Intelligence, identification number…"

At that moment, the shuttle shook violently and red lights began flashing all across the cockpits console. Another violent tremor and Emelie realized that she had lost shields altogether.

"Excelsior, I have lost shields! It is imperative that you…" and at that point, her entire body began to dissolve into bright yellow energy. "NO!"

Within a few precious seconds, she had vanished without a trace, leaving the shuttle an empty vessel hurtling through space.

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie found herself on all fours on a small platform in the middle of a room; in the ceiling, a matter-converter was powering down as its main emitter was glowing hot and slowly cooling. Breathing heavily, she dared to look up and out into the room; there, four cardassians stood with phasers aimed at her, but what truly ripped hope out of her was the fact that a female romulan walked past the cardassians and eyed Emelie with an arrogant smirk on her tattooed features.

"Hello."

One word, Emelie thought. How could one word be so saturated with contempt?


	9. Chapter 9

"One more hit and we're done for!" Faradal said after failing to successfully avoid an incoming salvo from the pursuing klingon craft.

Karalga was doing her best not to panic, but it was not easy. "I don't know what else I can do?! I've given you all the power I've got!"

Tuvok was doing what he could to remain calm, but even his vulcan training was not enough to shut out reality. "Our shields are hopelessly outmatched by their weapons, redirecting power to thrusters instead. I believe we have more use of maneuverability at this point."

"Great!" Faradal growled, narrowly avoiding another salvo, the disruptor-bolts obliterating a rock-formation half a mile up ahead. "Good to know!"

"Ensign" Tuvok then said as he operated the station next to the pilot, "there is a gorge approaching, along the impressive ridge on our starboard. I suggest we head for it."

"There'll be no room to maneuver" Faradal objected as he took the shuttle through an evasive flight-pattern. "We might as well line up for a firing-squad!"

"There is not time to argue, ensign" Tuvok said, only slightly agitated. "Lieutenant commander, would you please order ensign Faradal to comply."

Karalga looked between the two ensigns at the fore of the cockpit. Unused to the stress of the situation, she froze and was unable to utter a word. Glancing back at the kaitian, Tuvok realized she would be of no use, for the time being at least. Tuvok aimed his attention at the yellow-skinned aaamazzarite next to him instead.

"I am sorry, ensign" Tuvok then said, "but I am forced to take command of the situation."

Tuvok reached over and grabbed Faradal where neck connected with shoulder and pinched very specific clusters of nerve-endings; the result being that ensign Faradal slumped over unconscious in his seat. Tuvok instantly transferred control of the shuttle to his station and proceeded to head for the gorge he had discovered.

"What are you doing?!" Karalga wondered, panic in her voice.

The shuttle shook as rocks showered across it after klingon disruptor-cannons blasted the ground dozens of feet below.

"Lieutenant commander" Tuvok said, focusing on remaining calm, "you are relieved of command according to Starfleet regulation six-one-nine for the duration of this engagement."

"Ensign?!" Karalga could barely believe it, despite the mental state she found herself in.

But the kaitian did not argue any further as she took note of what was up ahead of them, closing fast; a narrow passage cleaving a massive mountain in two, leaving a narrow gorge that allowed passage through to the opposite side, and Tuvok was heading straight for it.

"We'll never fit!"

Tuvok was not persuaded by the emotional outburst of the chief science officer. "On the contrary, lieutenant commander" he simply said, "the klingons will not fit."

The shuttle, as per Tuvoks commands, locked on to the klingon vessel hunting them with its tractor-beam moments before Tuvok flew into the narrow passage. The klingon D3 assault-craft was about to veer off to avoid crashing into the mountain, but was instead forcefully dragged behind the shuttle until it slammed into the mountainside, both wings ripped clean off as the main hull of the vessel was pulled along by the Starfleet-shuttles tractor-beam. The remains of the klingon craft bounced between the cliffs, plating denting and breaking off, flames erupting from exposed sections and eventually fuel-cells detonating. As Tuvok cleared the gorge on the other side, the tractor-beam only had a twisted carcass of the klingon vessel dragged behind it. Tuvok disengaged the tractor-beam, leaving the remains of the klingon craft flying off to tumble along the lunar surface.

Tuvok turned to face his superior officer, who was both amazed and speechless. "Lieutenant commander" the vulcan said, "what are your orders? I feel obligated to remind you of commander Gars order, that in the case of the away-team being in jeopardy, we were to return to the Excelsior and report."

"We can't leave them behind." Karalga spoke in a state of chock, more than issuing an order.

But ensign Tuvok could not tell the difference. "As you wish. We shall head back and extract our fellow officers."

 **XXX XXX**

Gars and the others had found cover behind some large boulders. Up on the ridge of the crater, the remains of their shuttle lay in a twisted heap. Circling the crater was the klingon vessel that had blasted their shuttle and killed their pilot.

"No, no, no!"

Gars turned around as the medical officer was heard over the commlink. He was struggling with keeping lieutenant Haji alive; wounded in the arm, her brachial artery had been severed by the ballistic that had hit her, and she was bleeding out rapidly.

"I'm loosing her!" the medical officer said. "Stay with me, lieutenant!"

"Incoming!"

Gars turned around again, spotting the device dropped by the klingon craft. Everyone ducked as it struck ground, but nothing happened. As they all got up on their knees, the science officer got a spike on his equipment.

"Massive surge of tetryon radiation" lieutenant Sjoberg said, his deep-blue spacesuit marking him as a science-officer.

Gars realized what it meant and tried to fire her phaser, but it refused to respond. "They've taken out our phasers" she said and turned her attention at the circling craft overhead; like a vulture circling a carcass. "They're coming down after us."

As she said it, four klingons in spacesuits exited the vessel and began a freefall towards the surface and the crater. Commander Gars picked up a sturdy piece of rock from the ground, eyes ever locked on the klingons as they fell from the sky.

Gars clinched her jaw as she spoke, knowing fully well what was about to happen. "Get ready."

 **XXX XXX**

Korax leaned in over the klingon in charge of scans and turned a dial himself, as if not truly accepting what their sensors was telling them. He almost chuckled, a bit amused, as he eventually turned to his lord and commander.

"Lord Koloth" Korax said and walked over to the captain of the IKS Gr'oth. "A lone object has ventured outside the cover the rings." As Korax had expected, it caught Koloths interest. "Scanners indicate a bio-signature."

Koloth found it as puzzling as his second in command. "On viewer" he ordered and soon the object was in full view up on the main screen of the bridge.

Every klingon on the bridge were taken by surprise watching the object, unsure of what it was they were looking at as a humanoid, wearing a Starfleet spacesuit, seemed to be waving at them in a friendly manner.

 **XXX XXX**

The humanoid and spacesuit rematerialized on the Gr'oths main transporter-pad, six klingon warriors standing in wait and armed to the teeth, Korax being one of them. Having been successfully transported onboard, the humanoid eventually found his balance as he was suddenly subjected to gravity after having been free-floating in space. Instantly, the klingons closed in to subdue their prisoner.

"Easy now!" Curzon Dax said from within the confines of his spacesuit. "Easy! Easy!"

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon, having been stripped of his spacesuit, and quite violently so, was thrown to the floor by two klingon warriors. His body now bruised and aching, the trill slowly climbed back on his feet and tried his best to ignore the pain. He quickly realized he had been taken to the Gr'oths audience-chamber; torches alight along the walls, the banners of the klingon empire, along with the banners of house Lasshar, covered the wall behind an impressive throne. And on that throne sat Koloth, klingon warlord and hero of the empire, bat'leth in hand.

"The bold trill" Koloth said and drank from a cup of blood-wine. "We meet again."

"We do, lord Koloth" Curzon said, tossing a quick glance over his shoulder at the eight other klingons in the room; naturally, all armed with disruptor-pistols and edged weapons. Turning back to the lord of the ship, the trill tried to appear as bold as possible. "I speak to you as the voice of the Federation. I would have you listen to me, as if I was the will of the Federation."

Koloth interrupted quickly enough. "And I speak to you as lord of House Lasshar!" the klingon growled, his words trembling with a subdued roar. "No riddles, trill; what do you want?"

Curzon took a defiant step forward, causing a few klingons to instinctively ready themselves to kill him. Dax tried his best to ignore them, despite the bloodthirsty klingons standing mere feet away from him. "I am here to barter a truce" he said, "a seize-fire to allow the truth to emerge victorious."

"Barter?" Koloth growled. "You would treat me as a ferengi?!"

Koloth was out of his throne in a heartbeat, and with bat'leth in one hand, he freed his d'k tahg from its scabbard and pressed it against the trills throat. Curzon, in the midst of fear filling his entire being, was impressed by the speed the massive klingon had possessed.

"Then kill me" Curzon eventually said, meeting Koloths gaze without flinching, "and let your honor be sullied with glory bestowed by romulan deception."

Koloth leaned in, a growl trembling in his throat as he eyed the trill with cold eyes. In the end, he returned his dagger to its place in his belt and took a step back.

"Kor wasn't lying when he said you are not like other Federation envoys."

Curzon, unable to release a sigh of relief, did manage to smile at the mention of Kor. "So, my good friend Kor has spoken of me? Then you know, Koloth of Lasshar, that I, Curzon of Dax, am a man of honor and would not deny you glory in battle."

Taking a step back, Koloth eyed the trill with quite some suspicion, resting his bat'leth in his arms across his chest. "Yet, you are here to convince me not to destroy the Excelsior? Despite the fact that honor demands it."

"Honor demands that the cowardly spies that stole your data-files are killed" Curzon pointed out. "I am here to tell you that those cowards are romulans."

"Can you prove this?" Korax cut in with a snarl.

Curzon Dax turned to look directly at Korax. "You interrupted us as we chased after them" he said and then turned back to Koloth. "Halt your attack on the Starfleet crewmembers, and let us work together in finding the cowardly romulans, so that we can punish them for their dishonorable ways."

Koloth gave the matter some thought as he returned to his throne. "I will not deny my warriors glory in battle" he said and sat down. "For now, they may kill as they please."

Curzon was not satisfied with the response. "Even if I can prove that the romulans are responsible for all of this?"

"Bring me this proof" Koloth replied, "and I will hunt down and kill the romulans guilty of this treachery. But I will not order my warriors to retreat from battle, and I will not ask of them to forsake victory just to please you, Curzon of Dax."

Curzon knew he had to work quickly to convince Koloth to trust him, or else many more crewmembers of the USS Excelsior would die before this day was over.

 **XXX XXX**

Lieutenant Rork, the science officer, screamed out of pain and fear and desperation as a klingon slashed his spacesuit wide open with a bat'leth. Oxygen and blood almost exploded out from the open tear, forcing the klingon to take several steps back not to be knocked over. Sjoberg, the medical officer, was thrown to the side in the low-gravity environment by another klingon, flying a good six meters before bouncing off the ground.

Vladorim, the engineer on the away-team, wrestled a third klingon together with ensign Baum, the last of the security-officers still alive. The klingon was roaring inside his helmet as his opponents tried to wrestle a mek'leth out of his grip.

Gars ended up on her back, or rather, the back of her bulky spacesuit, as the fourth klingon dragged her down. Landing on top of her, Gars just managed to stop the klingon from puncturing her suit with his d'k tahg; in desperation, she took the rock she held in her hand and slammed it against the klingons helmet. She did it again and again until the visor eventually cracked and two narrow jets of vapor escaped. It did little to persuade the klingon warrior from halting his attack; instead, he seemed more determined to push his dagger into the chest of his enemy.

Sjoberg looked up just as the klingon that had thrown him came flying at him, slamming into Sjoberg and pinned him to the ground. Paralyzed by fear, the medical officer screamed as the klingon impaled him through the gut.

Vladorim was kicked to the side, but in turn, Baum managed to wrestle the mek'leth out of the klingons grasp. A quick slash, all force and no finesse, ripped open the klingons suit across the leg. The klingon put pressure on the gash with one hand and pulled a dagger with the other and plunged it into Baums shoulder. Baum let out a fierce howl of pain, anger, fear and insanity as he in turn started chopping wildly at his opponent with the mek'leth; cutting open the klingons spacesuit at random as each strike was fueled with desperation.

Vladorim looked up as both Baum and the klingon they had wrestled succumbed to their wounds and the loss of oxygen, falling over in the dust of the lunar satellite. But there was no time to think about it, as another klingon swung a bat'leth and completely severed the engineers arm with a single strike; Vladorim cried out, out of pain, as leaking oxygen acted like a thruster and pushed him into a violent spin, a spin that eventually crashed him into a rock-formation and knocked out him out cold.

Gars cracked the visor of the klingon helmet wide open with a final strike, a massive jet of atmosphere was sucked out from the spacesuit and in the end left the klingon gasping for air as he was exposed to the unforgiving void. Commander Gars quickly came back on her feet, rock in hand, and surveyed the situation. Her entire away-team was dead, killed, and she was now on her own against the two remaining klingons. The stand off lasted for seconds, but felt like hours. Breathing heavily inside of her helmet, Nathalie Gars summed up her options and came to just one conclusion.

She reached down and grabbed a device strapped to the thigh of the dead klingon at her feet. The last klingons instantly came at her at full speed. Gars took aim as a klingon leapt at her, bat'leth ready to strike, and the Starfleet commander launched the jagged-edged harpoon point-blank, nearly impaling the klingon clean through. With his spacesuit pierced, the klingon flew away, unable to control his movements as oxygen was violently escaping his suit.

Gars parried the second klingons attack with the harpoon-pistol, pushed to the side and forced to stumble by the sheer impact of the blow. Regaining her footing, the klingon was already swinging his bat'leth a second time at her; it was by sheer instinct that Gars threw herself backwards and out of harms way, landing on her back once more. The klingon was triumphantly stepping over towards her and raised the bat'leth over his helmet, ready to let it come down in one single victorious blow.

The harpoon, launched by Gars stolen weapon, pierced the visor of the klingons helmet without shattering it. Instead, the klingon took a few steps back, almost as if surprised, before drops of purple blood was pulled out from within the helmet along the length of the harpoon. Gars watched as the klingon warrior slowly fell to his knees and, in the end, fell over on the ground itself.

The Starfleet commander climbed back on her feet, trying to catch her breath, stumbled and regained her footing and then took a look around. Her away-team dead and four klingons dead. No sign of any romulans. Suddenly, she was engulfed in bright white light, and shielding her eyes with a hand, she looked up at the hovering klingon D3 assault-vessel that was looking down at her from above. She stood no chance, and she knew it.

Out of nowhere, the klingon craft took several hits from phaser weapons. Gars could hardly believe it as a Starfleet shuttle swept in and circled the klingon vessel; a Starfleet officer standing on its roof, firing a phaser-rifle, while secured in place with magnetic boots as well as duranium tow-cables. The distraction was enough to provoke the klingons to take chase. As the klingons came up behind the Starfleet shuttle and opened fire, they discovered the rear hatch wide open and two Starfleet officers firing phaser-rifles back at them.

With the main threat out of the way, a second Starfleet shuttle came in for a landing in the crater and Gars quickly hurried towards it. Climbing aboard and sealing the airlock, she was relieved to remove the helmet and get a chance to sit down and rest. The hatch leading to the cockpit opened and the commander was a bit surprised to find ensign Tuvok joining her.

"Commander" Tuvok said with little show of emotion. "We will return you to the Excelsior for medical treatment. The remainder of your away-team will be retrieved at a later time."

Gars merely nodded, exhausted and out of breath as she was.

The shuttle took off and headed for the Excelsior as fast as possible. Not far away, the third shuttle was doing its best avoiding klingon fire, while the three officers wearing the brown of Starfleet Security, armed with phaser-rifles, returned fire as best they could. The officer secured to the roof of the shuttle was none other than recently promoted lieutenant commander Atl, chief of security.

While firing his phaser-rifle, he spoke over the commlink. "Get ready to line them up! On my mark!"

The klingons came up right behind them, taking fire from the three phaser-rifles. Lieutenant Commander Atl knew there would be no second chances.

"Do it!" Atl ordered. "Do it now!"

The shuttles co-pilot did as commanded and released a container previously secured to the belly of the shuttle. All three security-officers took aim and fired their weapons at the container, and upon hitting it, the small amount of anti-matter that it carried was released as the containment-field was ruptured. Instantly, as the anti-matter came into contact with matter, a large explosion erupted, engulfing the klingon vessel that had no time to avoid it. Badly crippled, the klingon craft crashed towards the surface.

"Alright" Atl said with a smile. "Let's head back home."


	10. Chapter 10

A large group of people had gathered in the main hangar-bay of the USS Excelsior, impatiently awaiting the first shuttle and for it to land. As it touched down, medical personnel rushed forward and hardly had time to wait for the airlock to open before they made their way inside. Soon enough, secured to a stretcher hovering on an anti-gravity field, they brought out commander Gars.

The chief medical officer, lieutenant commander Eckenwald, personally oversaw the transport of the commander from shuttle to sickbay. "You're going to be fine, Nathalie" Eckenwald said as he checked her vitals on a datapad. "You're in a state of chock, besides that you're fine. We'll get you to a biobed just to be sure."

"The others" Gars said and grabbed Eckenwalds arm, "they're still out there. Someone might be still alive."

"Calm down, commander" Sulu said, pushing his way through the medical staff. "We'll get them all back, I promise you."

Eckenwald and his team hurried away with the commander and Sulu turned around just as the two ensigns exited the shuttle together with lieutenant commander Karalga. The three received medical attention as well, but without any serious injury to them, they were simply ordered to log time with the ships councilor.

"Well?" Sulu said as he walked over to his chief science officer "Report."

"I'm not sure what happened, captain" the kaitian said, still a bit disorientated. "The away-team found the intruders and then the klingons attacked. Ensign Tuvok managed to destroy one of the klingon attack-craft, but more than that, I don't know what took place, captain."

Sulu was not only surprised, but also impressed. "Ensign Tuvok? You destroyed a klingon attack-vessel using an unarmed shuttle?"

Tuvok did not seem to find it impressive at all. "I merely utilized the shuttles onboard tractor-beam, captain. Once locked on, the outcome was inevitable. It was the only logical course of action."

"Third shuttle coming in!"

They all turned to face the hangar-bay entrance as yet another shuttle came in for a landing, with a security-officer secured to its roof. A fact that had Tuvok raise an eyebrow.

"Extraordinary" the vulcan commented on the sight.

Crewmembers wearing the red of Engineering and purple of Operations helped the three security-officers with getting out of the heavy and bulky parts of their spacesuits, while getting pats on the back and cheers and smiles; after all, they had come to the rescue of the other crewmembers in need.

"I am impressed, lieutenant commander" Sulu said as he walked up to the senior officer of the security-officers.

"Thank you, sir" lieutenant commander Atl said, wide smile. "But it was Shrav that gave me the anti-matter. I asked him to fix me a bomb and he sure as hell did."

Sulu nodded and allowed a smile to grow on his lips as well. "And you being tied to the dorsal of the shuttle? Was that really necessary?"

"I figured we needed a turret" Atl said, "and I am the best shot onboard, sir."

"Good work, all of you" Sulu said and looked around at all his officers being involved in the engagement with the klingons. "You showed heart today. The kind of spirit Starfleet desperately needs in the years to come." The captain then turned to address his chief of operations, "Lieutenant Angred, put together a team to retrieve our officers in the field. Once we are certain there are no more surprises out there, you will bring our friends back home."

The tellarite stood at strict attention. "Of course, captain. Leave it to me."

Sulu then raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. "And let's not forget their sacrifice. Those men and women who died today have done so because they believed in what our uniform represents. So we carry on, to honor their memory, to honor their sacrifice. As you were!"

The crew of the USS Excelsior returned to work, mainly going over the two shuttles and preparing them to return them to storage in the docking-hall. Ensign Tuvok walked over to the captain and Sulu spotted him easily enough.

"Ensign?"

"Captain" Tuvok acknowledged. "It concerns the two escapees that eluded capture."

Sulus mood took a turn for the worse as he was reminded. "Yes… I suppose their current state is unknown to us?"

"I am afraid so, captain" Tuvok was forced to report. "The klingons interfered as we were about to engage the two mystery-figures. Distracted by the klingons, we were unable to keep track of our two initial targets. There is a slight possibility that they are still out there."

Sulu did not seem convinced. "Tell me, ensign, for arguments sake, let's say we are dealing with romulans; is it logical for them to stay on that rock?"

Tuvok did not give his answer any thought at all. "No captain" he said, "it would not be logical for them to do so. They have most likely already relocated and are awaiting to be retrieved by allies, or other romulans."

"Look out!"

The warning shouted by a crewman had everyone turn around, and as they did, a broken and seriously damaged klingon vessel came crashing in through the hangar-bays protective force-field. It slammed onto the deck, bounced and crashed into a shuttle, killing six of the Excelsiors crew in the process by sheer force of impact. Within seconds, a klingon climbed out of the craft, bleeding from several cuts and enduring a broken leg; he roared out a call of defiance as he, armed with two disruptor-pistols, began firing wildly around him, filling the hangar-bay with deadly bolts of energy.

The Excelsior crew hurried to find cover as green-glowing balls of energy started flying, rupturing matter upon impact in small explosions. Some did not manage to evade the wild barrage that filled the hangar-bay and were thrown to the flooring seriously wounded.

Covered by the first klingon, a second klingon warrior climbed out, armed with a bat'leth, and charged with his melee-weapon held high and ready to strike, howling a single word.

" _Sto'Vo'Kor_!"

The klingon swung his bat'leth three times and killed as many Starfleet officers before lieutenant commander Atl took aim and blasted the fierce warrior with two well placed phaser-rounds to the chest.

"Captain!"

A command-officer pushed Sulu to the side and took a disruptor-bolt to the torso that was meant for the captain. Sulu ignored the wide open and smoking hole in the mans chest, and instead retrieved the officers phaser-pistol. Sulu took a knee and took aim, his pistol discharging three times in quick succession and all three phaser-rounds struck the last klingon, sending him dead to the deck of the hangar-bay.

As the shooting stopped, crewmembers began looking up from behind cover, many in chock, some fleeing in case more klingons appeared. Sulu and Atl moved up to the two klingons and made sure they were dead.

"Get some medics down here!" Sulu demanded. "Now!"

Atl shook his head as he took another look at the bat'leth wielding klingon. "Crazy bastards."

Sulu gave Atl a glance. "We need this ship up and running, and soon, or else this will just be a taste of things to come."

 **XXX XXX**

"They died with honor, my lord Koloth."

Koloth, having studied a large screen depicting information transmitted by the two D3 assault-craft he had dispatched, turned as the last signal was lost. The trill had poured himself a cup of breshtanti ale and drank of it before speaking once more.

"You gave them a chance for glory. But now, I urge you to listen to me."

"Listen to you?!" Korax snarled. "Our warriors have dealt a serious blow to your friends, we have destroyed much of your ship and your captain is hiding from us like a coward! Why should we listen to our beaten foe in our moment of triumph?!"

"Because if you don't, the romulans.."

"The romulans?!" Koloth growled and returned to his throne, where he sat down and grabbed his cup of blood-wine. "Where is the proof?! My patience is running out and when it does, I will place your head on a spike and mount it on my wall!"

Curzon took a deep breath before he continued his argument. "We found a pod on the hull of the Excelsior. My guess is that a similar pod is attached to your ship, my lord. I ask of you to make sure your ship is not compromised. Prove me wrong, Koloth! Or are you afraid of what you might find?!"

Koloth grabbed his dagger, but restrained himself, settling with turning deadly eyes on the trill joining him in the audience-chamber. "Either you have little understanding of your words, trill, or you are braver than most."

Curzon kept a stern face, but inside he was feeling hopeful; he was beginning to earn Koloths ear, the old klingon was listening to what he was saying. There was hope.

"Then deploy a shuttle and inspect your hull, my lord" Curzon urged of Koloth. "Only then will you find your true enemy. The enemy your blade deserves."

Koloth considered his options, letting go of his d'k tahg and drank from the blood-wine instead. His officers awaited his orders and the trill was hoping to avoid being killed. Attack the enemy in plain sight, or wait and hunt down an enemy hiding in the shadows? Romulans hiding on the hull of a klingon battle-ship? Even worse; boarding and stealing the ships entire collected data. The shame of it, the dishonor, would haunt not only him but every klingon serving under him. The mere thought of it forced a cold chill to crawl along his spine.

"Lord Koloth" the intercom sounded and caught everyones attention. "Vessel de-cloaking to our portside."

"Secure him!" Korax ordered the warriors and the order was followed without hesitation, earning Curzon Dax a couple of more bruises.

 **XXX XXX**

Koloth and Korax entered the Gr'oths main transport-chamber, and with a nod did Koloth instruct the klingon operating the controls to activate the transporter. Within seconds, orange-glowing particles filled the room and gathered in the shape of a humanoid, until it took form and took solid shape. Standing before them was a remarkable specimen of klingon physical fortitude, long hair of black falling down over his shoulders with an impressive beard covering chin and jawline. The body covered in armor and a cloak of fur, accompanied by a golden sash running from shoulder to waist.

"Greetings, Koloth" the impressive klingon said, his voice deep and commanding.

Koloth was not sure what to make of it. "Kang" he simply replied, in honor of his guest.

 **XXX XXX**

Captain Sulu and lieutenant commander Atl entered the large cargo-hold and found lieutenant commander Karagla and Shrav present, together with ensign Tuvok and a number of other officers from both Science and Engineering departments.

"Another klingon warship?" Shrav wondered as he turned to the captain.

"Looks like it" Sulu admitted. "With our main sensors out of order, all we can determine is that a large object with significant mass appeared out of nowhere. Size and mass is roughly that of the Gr'oth, and its sudden appearance indicates a cloaking device. So we are going to treat the new object as another klingon battle-cruiser." The captain sighed. "So, what is this thing?"

In the middle of the cargo-hold, safely on the floor, stood the mysterious pod that had been discovered attached to the Excelsiors hull.

"No clue" Shrav, the chief engineer, said, folding his arms over his chest. "But to lock onto it with the transporter was no walk in the park, captain. Who ever built it used every trick in the book to make it seem as an integral part of the ship. But… I managed in the end."

Karalga was circling the pod with a tricorder with an attached enhanced sensor-dish. "You will have to give us some time, captain. At first glance we have found no trace of any biological components and the computers appears to be completely fried. At present, it is impossible to determine who, or what species, has operated this thing."

Shrav was next to speak as he guided the captain over to where Tuvok was monitoring another device; almost a meter in length and thirty centimeters in width and height. "This here, captain, is something we have managed to identify."

"What is it?" Atl wondered.

"A klingon warhead" Tuvok informed the senior officers and lowered his tricorder. "At first we thought it was the pods main source of power. But, it did not take long for us to realize it was indeed a torpedo, stripped of its impulse-drive, thrusters and targeting-system."

"The warhead is still active, sir" Shrav pointed out.

Sulu studied the device for a moment, taking in the fact that he was standing no more than a meter away from a warhead, that upon detonation, could rip the ship apart. "What was it doing on the pod?"

Tuvok put his tricorder to the side. "The warheads intended purpose was most likely to destroy our main impulse-drive, given the location of the pod, which would only give us a single means of escape; going to warp and return to Federation space."

Karalga, having joined the others, realized what that meant. "And with the klingon data onboard, we would have started a war."

"It lends credit to Dax's crazy conspiracy-theory, doesn't it?" Shrav said, looking at the others.

"I want it neutralized" Sulu sharply instructed. "It might still be detonated by remote."

"Yes, captain" Tuvok said, and then considered a thought. "Captain, if I may?"

"What is it, ensign?" Sulu wondered, no longer being so dismissive of the young vulcans input.

"Whoever secured this pod to our hull" Tuvok began, "did so with the intent to force us to flee to the Federation with the klingon data onboard. It is not improbable to assume that something similar has been put in place on the IKS Gr'oth, to prevent them from pursuing us."

Sulu nodded as he connected the dots. "The agents that downloaded the data to our computer, also were responsible for destroying our impulse-engines; forcing us to jump to warp. So the agents that were responsible for stealing the data, could be prepared to destroy Koloths only chance of following us; his warpdrive."

"Correct, captain" Tuvok said. "But while our impulse-engines would have been destroyed by what would have appeared as a sudden hit from a klingon torpedo, I believe that the IKS Gr'oth would have suffered a similar unsuspected hit, but by a Starfleet torpedo instead."

"Mister Shrav" Sulu said, having listened to the vulcans assessment of the situation, "I need this ship operational as soon as possible."

The andorian simply nodded. "I'll get right on it."

 **XXX XXX**

Eating the flesh from a freshly slain targ, Koloth and Kang drank blood-wine in the audience-chamber. The two klingon warlords said little at first and the tension between the two was almost visible in the air itself.

"Why are you here, Kang?" Koloth eventually asked.

Swallowing down some meat with the blood-wine, Kang put the cup to the side. "The Empire lost all contact with your ship. As I was returning from raiding cardassian shipping, I was asked by the Lord of War to investigate… So here I am."

"Chang sent you?" Koloth said the name without holding back on his scorn for the man.

Kang simply nodded as he took another bite of the roasted beast. "He did. He seemed to fear that you were in some kind of trouble."

"House Lorak are a bunch of lowborn tinkerers!" Koloth remarked and spat at the floor. "He would love to see House Lasshak weak and struggling."

Kang nodded. "Agreed" he said with his low and rumbling voice. "So, why was he monitoring your presence in this system?"

"I am here on behalf of Gorkon" Koloth explained. "But I have run into some… difficulties."

Kang chuckled. "That much is evident. It is Hikaru of Akira down there, is it not? You should end this now, before he finds a way to defeat you. He is crafty and a worthy opponent."

Koloth rested in his chair and drank from his warm wine. "The rings hide him well. Particle-density is too high so weapons will not work, and they have a make-shift energy-field protecting them that denies us to beam aboard."

"Why not ram them?" Kang wondered, being quite sincere and took another bite of meat.

"My pilot, Braga, insists that we do" Koloth said but shook his head. "That is how lowborns win battles."

Kang stopped eating, placed the meat on the table and drank heavily from his cup of blood-wine. As the cup was placed on the table next to the roasted targ, he spoke. "Good" he said, voice rumbling. "Hikaru deserves better. Leave this to me, Koloth; I will finish this and give Hikaru the death he deserves."

"That honor is mine!" Koloth growled and snarled. "You will not steal the honor of this battle from me, Kang. The glory is mine, not yours."

Kang leaned into the chair and rested his back. "We will see."

 **XXX XXX**

D'jalel entered the bridge of the cardassian freighter and walked over to Director Rukat who was standing on an elevated platform in the middle of the room.

Rukat offered the romulan a glance before turning his attention back at the information provided by the main view-screen on the bridge. "We have picked up two signals of sigma-radiation pulses, as you predicted."

"Good" D'jalel said. "Where are they?"

"They emerged out from the rings just now. Or rather, we received the signal just now, so they have been out in the open for about five minutes. But do not worry, commander; they emerged below the rings and the klingons are hovering above it, unable to detect them. They are quite safe… for now."

"Lock on to them and bring them aboard" the romulan ordered.

"My men are doing the best they can" Rukat said. "We are talking about extreme ranges here, and we do not wish to provoke the klingons by flying closer."

D'jalel leaned in close to the cardassians ear. "Get my men onboard, alive… director."

And with that, D'jalel left the bridge. Director Rukat followed her with a frown up until the doors closed behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Extended this chapter with about a thousand words, so scroll down about two-thirds if you already have had a look at this chapter ;)_**

Captain Sulu entered the bridge of the USS Excelsior and found, to his relief, that commander Gars was back on duty and in command of the bridge until his return.

"Report" Sulu said as Gars got out of his chair and allowed the commanding officer the use of the captains seat.

"Lieutenant Angred reports that two shuttles have been deployed just now to try and retrieve the bodies of our crewmembers" Gars informed her senior officer. "Still no luck in finding a beam that could detonate the klingons tetryon-devices, I'm afraid. Engineering-teams are deployed outside and repairs are underway."

"Good" Sulu said as he studied the report given by Gars on a datapad. "And the klingons?"

"Still holding their current location" Gars said.

"What is Koloth up to?" Sulu thought to himself. "He knows he can't get to us. What could he be planning?"

"He needs to overcome the composition of these rings, sir" Gars said.

Sulu nodded. "Then we need a way to keep that composition intact."

 **XXX XXX**

"Modulating an ion-stream, using a polarity-pulse, aimed at the Excelsior should counter the density of the rings."

Koloth studied the data provided by his ships Main Advisor, the klingon who was an expert in various sciences.

Bakula, as the Main Advisor was called, pointed at the screen and its graphs. "In less than thirty minutes, we will be able to launch a torpedo successfully at our enemy."

"Thirty minutes?" Korax was clearly not impressed. "That gives them plenty of time to counter your beam."

"If they discovered it" Bakula countered in turn. "Their scanners are destroyed. They are blind."

"You are suggesting that we shoot a blind and crippled old man?" Koloth said.

Bakula straightened his back in order to defend his position. "I am suggesting we destroy the data they have stolen, my lord."

In the end, Koloth nodded. "Good… Proceed." He then turned to his pilot. "Braga! Align our main scanners with the enemy ship!"

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon Dax stood leaning against the bars of the holding-cell he was contained within. There were eight in total, and only one other held a prisoner; a nausicaan suffering from malnutrition after months of captivity. Two klingon guards played a board-game over by the heavy door that lead into the large room. As the door unexpectedly opened, the guards came to their feet, but soon enough returned to their game; the klingon who entered the room required no introduction and the guards realized they did best to not interfere. Dax was not sure what to do, or say, as the intimidating creature walked over to him.

"Curzon Dax" Kang said. "Kor says you are not like other Federation negotiators" he continued in the human language, also known as English. "You speak terran, do you not?" he then added.

"Yes" Dax eventually said as he gathered his wits. "Yes, I do."

"Good. The guards do not" Kang continued. "In fact, most klingons do not bother with learning the tongues of our enemies. I, however, find it useful."

Dax eyed the klingon. A klingon as famous as Koloth. "What can I help you with?" the trill then asked.

Kang eyed Curzon with a stern look in response to the question. "Why would I need your help?"

"Why else are you here? Talking to me?"

"Koloth said you believe romulans are plotting against us" Kang said, ignoring the question. "Why?"

"A trustworthy source" Dax explained.

"Can you prove that romulans are responsible?"

Dax nodded. "I believe I can. I believe there are romulans attached to the hull of the Gr'oth."

Kang stood in silence for a brief moment. "My ship would have detected them."

But Curzon shook his head. "I'm not so sure. The crew of the Excelsior only spotted them by blind luck. These romulans are crafty and not easily detected. Take another look" the trill then urged the klingon, "a real hard look at Koloths ship."

"I just might do that" Kang said and then headed for the exit.

"Just what are you doing in this part of space, Kang?" Curzon wondered and leaned up against the bars to get a glimpse of the famous warlord. "You are far away from home."

Kang stopped and, after some consideration, headed back to the imprisoned trill. "I happened to be in the region, raiding cardassian shipping."

"Huh" Dax said, nodding. "What a coincidence" he then said. "What a coincidence that you and Koloth happened to be in the area when the Excelsior was about to visit Korvat. You know something, Kang… What is it?"

Kang studied the trill, his features stern and hard as rock. "Koloth believes he was sent here by the chancellor, to convince Korvat colony to allow us to use the system as a staging-point for attacks on the Federation and the Cardassian Empire. In truth, it was the Lord of War who gave the order."

"Chang?" Dax said, knowing fully well who the man was. "The commanding officer of all klingon fleets and armies… That doesn't surprise me."

"It should" Kang countered and took a step closer to the prisoner. "If Chang had nothing to hide, he would have given the order himself. But my contacts in the High Council informs me that Chang has for some time used his influence to persuade the chancellor into adopting the plans for Korvat, making them his own. That is not how klingons act, not if one wish to secure honor and glory for ones house and name."

"So you suspect… What?"

Kang glanced at the guards to make sure they did not listen in on the conversation, and since they were too busy with their board-game, he ignored them. "I took my ship here since I suspected that Chang was up to something. Now I find Koloth almost destroying the Excelsior, and a Federation ambassador claiming the romulans are behind it all. The Lord of War has pushed for open conflict with the Federation for several years now, but have always been foiled in the High Council by chancellor Gorkon."

Dax nodded as he listened to the information. "Gorkon favors internal strife between the houses, in order to maintain the peace with neighboring powers in the galaxy. It keeps the peace, but also provides klingon warriors with experience."

Kang nodded as well, and included a faint smile. "Kor has instructed you well, I hear. Yes, that is Gorkons policy, one I happen to support. Chang, on the other hand, wants a war that will give him full control over all klingon forces. A war that will earn him enough honor and glory to claim the position of chancellor himself."

Dax realized the dire situation such events would place the galaxy in. "Are you saying that Chang is working with the romulans?"

Kang allowed a slow nod of his head. "The romulans will give Chang the war he wants, and the romulans gain a klingon chancellor they can control."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie woke up and found herself strapped to a chair. A single bright light in the ceiling was aimed at her and it felt like it nearly blinded her. Eventually, she could make out three figures in the room; two cardassians, armed with phaser-rifles, and a bald humanoid. As her eyes adjusted some more, the bald humanoid soon turned into a romulan.

D'jalel.

"Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk" D'jalel said and started to move in a circle around the chair Emelie was constrained to. "Starfleet Intelligence" the romulan commander continued, "on a mission to discover romulan activity in the Korvat system… I am impressed, for I was under the impression that this mission was a need-to-know operation conducted by the Tal Shiar without any inquisitive senators meddling in our affairs." The female romulan, face covered in tattoos, leaned in close to the human female. "Could it be that the Tal Shiar has a leak?" D'jalel then straightened her back and began pacing again. "Of course not" she said, speaking to herself, "the obvious leak is within the cardassian organization. I suppose we must reconsider this co-operation. But enough of that for now… What do you know?"

Emelie said nothing, she merely focused on a spot on the wall in front of her and tried to ignore the romulan as best she could.

"How did you find us?" D'jalel asked, as ever walking in a circle around Emelie and the chair. "Who is your contact? What do you know?" But she got no response from her prisoner, a fact that made D'jalel smile. "You do understand that this will not be pleasant, surely."

Emelie knew, she knew all too well, and steeled herself for the interrogation. D'jalel placed herself directly in front of the young human woman and removed the gloves from her hands. The romulan felt the leather between her fingers for a brief moment before placing the gloves to the side.

"You must be aware of the common ancestry of the romulans and the vulcans?" D'jalel then said and studied Emelie, while stroking her hands together. Then, she placed her fingers against the skull of her captive, pressing hard into the skin of the human, so much so that Emelie groaned from the pain of the pressure. Then, with great concentration, D'jalel spoke. "My mind… To your mind…"

And Emelie cried out with pain as her subconscious was being invaded.

 **XXX XXX**

Lieutenant commander Karalga and ensign Tuvok returned to the bridge with quite some haste. As they entered, commander Gars instantly briefed them on the situation.

"The klingons are dispersing the cloud-cover. It is only a matter of time before they will be able to open fore on us."

Sulu was next to speak. "And when that happens, we will have no shields to protect us. I need counter-measures and now."

The two science officers sat down by their stations and studied the meager results of the ships still intact sensors.

"An increase in ionization" Karalga concluded. "Which disperses the particles of the rings. But I see nothing to indicate that the klingons are responsible."

Sulu was not satisfied with that answer. "Are you telling me a natural event is by random chance giving the klingons exactly what they need?"

Tuvok was inclined to agree with the captain. "I see no reason why this should be caused naturally, not with limited senors. I believe this is a deliberate attack by the klingons."

"What ever the case" Karalga said as she flipped some switches to redirect the focus of some sensor-alignments, "we need to counter the effect."

"I believe I can detect a pulse, slowly increasing ionization in the rings" Tuvok said and both Gars and Sulu joined the vulcan by his station. "The pulse is transmitting at a four second interval, dismantling particle-density with each burst."

"A polarity-pulse!" Karalga could not help but smile as she solved part of the riddle.

"Indeed, lieutenant commander" Tuvok said as he gave the kaitian a glance over the shoulder before turning his attention back to his workstation. "Which means the klingons are most likely relying on a modulated ion-stream, projected by their main sensor-dish."

"Can we counter it?" Sulu inquired and looked between the kaitian and the vulcan.

Karalga purred as she started working her dials, keys and switches. "Yes, captain, we can. The klingons may be blocking all subspace transmissions, but that does not mean we can't transmit using our subspace-antennas."

Tuvok filled in. "If charged with theta-radiation, via the Hewitt-inverters, subspace-antennas can be used to create a low-yield quantum-field. A field that effectively nullifies the effects of any modulated polarity-pulse."

"The klingons will disperse much of the rings above us" Karalga explained, "but our field will maintain enough density to effectively shield us from attack."

Both science officers suddenly left their seats and headed for the turbolifts.

"Where the hell are you two going?" Sulu wondered.

As the two science officers stepped into the waiting turbolift, Tuvok addressed the captain. "Sir, please have lieutenant commander Shrav join us at the dorsal subspace-antenna cluster. And inform him to bring the tools required to shut down the cooling-system and hook up the Hewitt-inverters with the radiation-filters. Make sure he brings five type six fulgers and enough tryon-locks to keep the subspace manifolds secure."

The turbolift-doors shut and the kaitian and the vulcan were gone. Sulu turned to his executive officer, who looked just as confused has he did.

"You heard the ensign" Sulu said and then returned to his captains chair.

Gars retrieved her commlink and activated it. "Lieutenant commander Shrav, this is commander Gars. We have a… we have a problem."

 **XXX XXX**

Bakula snarled and growled with frustration, eventually slamming his station with both hands as the readings it provided him with was anything but satisfactory.

The Weapons Master of the IKS Gr'oth shook his head. "They have countered the beam" he said as he studied his scans of the target. "Our torpedoes will detonate roughly six _kellicams_ from the Excelsior. Beyond that point, the density of the rings remains intact."

"A low-yield quantum-field" Bakula said, turning to face Koloth and Korax. "They have created a quantum-field to counter our pulse."

Korax frowned. "Like I said. We gave them too much time. I say we go down with boarding-craft and attack them head on!"

"Noble and glorious" Koloth admitted, sitting in his seat on the bridge of the battleship. "But easily countered. It will be a glorious death, for sure, but it will accomplish little in preventing Hikaru from escaping with our data-flies."

"I might have a suggestion, my lord."

Turning, all klingons aimed their attention at the ships Master Technician, an aging klingon with gray hair and beard, his face covered with the scars of fire and radiation.

 **XXX XXX**

Kang was walking down a corridor of the IKS Gr'oth when his commlink sounded. He made sure he was alone before he activated the device secured to his left arm.

"Yes, Mogh?"

"Lord Koloth" the voice of his first officer said over the commlink. "You instructed to inform you the moment we discovered anything out of the ordinary."

"And?"

On the IKS HaH'vat, Kangs personal battleship that hovered a mile or so to port of IKS Gr'oth, the vessels second in command, First of Warriors, Mogh straightened his back as he now ignored the readings provided by the ships scanners.

"We have detected two signals of matter-transfers, close together, extracted from somewhere beneath the rings and pulled directly towards Korvat" Mogh informed his lord and master. "Point of origin can not be determined and we are having difficulties in locating where the signals have rematerialized. Mass of the signals suggests two humanoids, possibly wearing spacesuits, or maybe even heavy armor. We are certain that the Excelsior is not the point of origin."

"Find out where those signals rematerialized" Kangs voice sounded through the intercom on the bridge.

"At once, my lord" Mogh said and gave the ships Main Advisor an indicating nod to proceed with their lords command.

 **XXX XXX**

Returning to solid form, wearing Tal Shiar stealth-suits, the two romulan agents sighed with relief of being out of harms way as they removed their helmets on the cardassian transporter-pad. Both smiled as they saw Toldol greeting them along with the cardassians operating the transporter.

"Lena, Vreno" Toldol said and helped his comrades down from the pad.

"I am sorry, sub-commander" Vreno, the male of the two, said. "The explosive did not detonate as intended. The Excelsior had trapped vast amounts of epsilon-radiation within their deflector-field which damaged the detonator-sequence."

"Do not concern yourself with that now, centurion" Toldol assured the two agents. "There is still a high probability that the mission will be a success. There are two klingon cruisers in the system, which will undoubtedly force the Excelsior to run and head back to the Federation."

 **XXX XXX**

"Our officers, that were shot by the unknown figures that escaped us, were shot by serrated harpoons of klingon manufacture" Eckenwald informed the rest of the senior staff in the Excelsiors briefing-room. "There was even klingon DNA found on the harpoons."

"No traces of any romulan DNA in the pod either." Karalga was next to speak.

"And it is impossible to get any information from the computers in the pod" Shrav added.

Lieutenant commander Atl sighed and shook his head. "So all evidence points to klingons."

"Which is illogical" Tuvok said, having been asked to join the senior staff-meeting. "Klingons would not need such an elaborate plot to find a reason to openly attack a Starfleet vessel. We are, after all, in neutral space and that has proven quite adequate enough, on many occasions, for klingons to engage Federation ships in battle."

Sulu got up on his feet and began pacing, walking behind each chair around the table in turn. "It all leaves us with little choice" he then said, "We are running out of options and we can not engage two klingon warships. If Starfleet does not arrive with reinforcements within twelve hours, I will give the order to return to Federation space."

"It will start a war, sir" Shrav pointed out.

"No news from Dax?" Eckenwald wondered.

"None" Gars informed and then shrugged her shoulders and looked at the captain. "I believe we should consider him killed in action, from this point on. There is no use of basing our decisions on the off-chance that Dax is alive and capable of convincing the klingons from not killing us all."

"Agreed" Sulu said with a heavy sigh. "Twelve hours, ladies and gentlemen. In twelve hours, we run the gauntlet… and hopefully avoid a war."

"If preventing war is our chief concern" Tuvok said, "we have the option to self-destruct."

The conclusion had everyone turn to the vulcan in utter disbelief.

Tuvok explained his reasoning. "If the Excelsior is destroyed, with all hands onboard, the klingons will likely be satisfied that their stolen data has been destroyed as well and that it will not end up in Federation hands. It would effectively prevent any chance for war."

Sulu sat down and aimed stern eyes at the ensign. "I will not kill this crew simply to conform with vulcan logic."

"Then we will have to accept the fact that our actions will most likely start a war" Tuvok said, his voice cold and to the point. "A war that will see millions dead on both sides. If the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, then it is a viable option to sacrifice the five-hundred crewmembers of the USS Excelsior in order to save untold millions of innocent lives."

"He has a point" Eckenwald cut in.

Gars frowned. "I don't agree."

"Nor do I" lieutenant Angred, the tellarite, said and sided with the commander.

"We should consider it" Atl said, voicing his opinion.

The mood in the room turned cold as tension increased. They all understood what was at stake and that the consequences for the actions, what ever the outcome, would be dire.


	12. Chapter 12

Captain Sulu and commander Gars crossed the bridge and headed for the communications-station and the lieutenant manning it. The lieutenant, wearing an orange department-shirt indicating him as a Specialist, was quite eager to report his findings.

"Mister Wu" Sulu said as he and Gars joined the communications-lieutenant, "what do you have for us?"

"A message, sir" lieutenant Wu said and pointed at his screens. "A couple of minutes ago, we spotted a tight burst of photons aimed directly at our ship. It was first ignored as a random event caused by Korvat City. But, I noticed a pattern and couldn't help studying it closer."

"A pattern?" Sulu inquired.

"Yes, sir" the lieutenant said, almost pleased with himself. "I finally realized what I was looking at" he said and then pointed at his graphs depicting the signal in question. "Ancient Morse code. Someone was transmitting a message intended for us."

Gars looked at her captain, and then at the lieutenant. "What was in the message?"

Lieutenant Wu hit a few keys and the message, in text-form, appeared on a screen. As Sulu and Gars read it, they could hardly believe it.

"I have double-checked her identity-number" Wu explained. "It checks out."

"She's alive?" Sulu whispered. "Where did she transmit from?"

"Somewhere in this region of the system" Wu said and had the relevant part of space appear on another screen. "There is nothing there now, but we have a large form of mass about twenty light-seconds away, heading for Korvat Five. Its trajectory should have taken it straight through the region of interest."

Gars turned to her captain. "The message indicates that lieutenant Marcus-Kirk was attacked. My guess is that whoever is heading for Korvat Five are either responsible, or witnessed the attack with their sensors."

"Who ever it was that attacked her" Sulu said, "did so to silence her. She had proof of the romulans actions in this system. That ship" he then said and pointed at the mass moving towards the fifth planet in the system, "either is an ally of the romulans, or is manned by agents of the Tal Shiar. And with a little luck, Emelie is still alive and onboard that ship as their captive."

"Captain!"

Shravs voice caught everyones attention as the blue-skinned andorian came hurrying across the bridge from the main entrance.

"Captain" Shrav repeated as he joined Sulu and Gars, "I know how to gain an advantage over the klingons."

Sulu gave the andorian his fullest attention. "Well, out with it!"

"The datafiles" Shrav said with a grin. "We have their datafiles. All of them! That includes the schematics of their ships, their weapons and their equipment. Everything! Let me go through the klingon data and I can guarantee you that I will find information we need to get out of this situation alive."

Sulu smiled and nodded. "Excellent, lieutenant commander. Get to work immediately."

"Yes, sir" Shrav said with a salute and left the bridge.

"Commander" Sulu then said and started walking towards his chair, located in the middle of the bridge, followed by his first officer. "If we gain an advantage over the klingons, should we try and locate lieutenant Marcus-Kirk?"

Gars sighed at the question and shook her head out of uncertainty. "Hard to say, captain. To be honest, it's impossible to answer that question right now."

Sulu nodded, he knew she was right, and sat down in the captains chair. "The problem is that she is the only thing, at the moment, that can prove to the klingons that the Federation is not the enemy. Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk is right now our only hope in order to save our crew and stop a war with the Klingon Empire. If she can prove that the romulans are behind all of this, then we need to find her."

"If she is alive" Gars added.

Sulu turned grim. "Yes… If she is alive."

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie was appearing quite irrational where she sat constrained to a chair; her eyes unable to focus, her lips trembling ever so slightly, her face covered in beads of sweat. Around her, four figures stood, all bald with pointy ears and features covered in tattoos.

"Our mission has changed" D'jalel told her fellow romulans. They were alone in the chamber with no cardassians present. "A klingon Bird-of-Prey is heading for this system and will arrive in a matter of hours. We must secure it for the Empire."

"More klingons?" Toldol said, a bit unsecure of the situation. "Three klingon warships? Why do we need to secure this vessel?"

"It contains a torpedo" D'jalel explained and, with a smile, placed a hand on Emelie's shoulder. "A torpedo that could potentially alter history." The smile faded as she turned to face her colleagues once more, "We can not allow it to remain in enemy hands. Securing this weapon has now highest priority."

"What's so special about it?" Toldol wondered.

D'jalel gently stroked Emelies head as she spoke. "Its specifications are based on technology from a hundred years into the future… With it, the empire can change the course of history."

 **XXX XXX**

Kang entered the bridge of the IKS Gr'oth and found several of the highest ranking officers of the vessel gathered around a tactical-station that provided an overview of the situation, depicting not only the Gr'oth, but also the rings around Korvat Six and the Excelsior hiding within the rings.

"Kang!" Koloth barked and waved his fellow lord over. "Come and see!"

Kang did and joined Koloth and studied the screens; a flight-pattern had been calculated, showing the Gr'oth flying in low above the rings, dropping an item and then pulling away from the rings at high speed as the item landed on top of the USS Excelsior.

"What is this?" Kang wondered.

Koloth pointed at the calculated approach the Gr'oth would take as it neared the Excelsior and later veer off. "This is how Hikaru of Akira dies, and the stolen datafiles are destroyed. We fly in at maximum impulse, perform a manual ejection of our warpcore and let it drop like a bomb down upon the Excelsior. The anti-matter detonation will utterly rip the Excelsior apart."

"Hikaru will not die by your hands?" Kang sounded a bit surprised.

Koloth snarled and headed for his own chair on the bridge. "We have no way of shooting him and no way of boarding him" he growled as he sat down. "Honor demands that Hikaru dies and that his ship is destroyed. This will ensure that honor is satisfied."

"It will satisfy honor" Kang admitted, "but will leave glory cheated in the moment of victory."

"Victory is always glorious" Koloth countered. "I will not leave this kill to you, Kang. I already made that clear. I, Koloth, son of Lasshar, of House Lasshar, will se Hikaru, son of Akira, dead! Koloth! Not Kang!"

Kang studied the plan as it was shown on the screen and then turned to the klingon warlord in command of the Gr'oth. "The day is yours, Koloth of Lasshar. I shall take my ship out of harms way and witness your victory from afar. You carry a guest on your ship, a friend of house Ryna. To avoid tension between house Lasshar and Ryna, I offer to ensure the safety of Curzon of Dax and return him to Kor on your behalf."

Koloth eyed Kang for a brief moment, his eyes revealing his suspicions towards his fellow lord and noble. "Very well" he said in the end. "Take the trill and keep Kors pet safe."

Kang headed to leave the bridge, but before stepping through the automated doors, he turned and looked straight at Koloth.

" _Qapla'_!"

And with that single word, Kang left the bridge and allowed the doors to slide shut behind him.

 **XXX XXX**

Moments later, Kang and Dax entered the bridge of the IKS HaH'vat where Kangs second in command, Mogh was waiting.

"Moving away from Korvat Six, my lord" Mogh said. "Heading for a distance of one light-minute."

"Excellent" Kang said and sat down in his chair on the bridge. "The Gr'oth?"

"Moving to prepare their bombing-run" Mogh explained as the ship in question came up on the main viewer.

Dax felt a bit anxious. "Will they be able to escape the blast-radius?"

"Not likely" Mogh said.

"This is why you could never persuade Koloth to walk away from killing Hikaru" Kang told Dax. "Koloth missed the opportunity to kill Kirk, to destroy the Enterprise; his nemesis. A shame he could never wash from his name. Now, with honor demanding of him to kill Hikaru and destroy the Excelsior, the most famous captain in Starfleet and his ship, Koloth will not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. Kor was right when he said that Curzon of Dax is one of few aliens to truly understand klingons… Unfortunately for you, Dax, Koloth is immune to reason at the moment."

Curzon turned away from Kang and looked at the viewer depicting the Gr'oth and the planet in the background with its rings. There was nothing he could do but look on as the klingons positioned themselves for an attack-run that would see the Excelsior, and all of its crew, annihilated.

 **XXX XXX**

Gars entered the captains ready-room and found Sulu looking out a viewport, drink in hand.

"Saurian brandy?" Sulu wondered.

"Why not" Gars said and went to pour herself a drink.

"Anything new to report?"

Gars, as she poured herself a glass of brandy, nodded. "Yes, captain. Repairs are underway and we will be able to restore shields, up to ten percent at least, in two hours."

"Good" Sulu said and drank some of the alcohol in his hand.

"Shrav, Karalga and Tuvok are working on going through the datafiles" the commander then said and placed the bottle to the side and sipped the strong drink. "So far, they have discovered that an aimed ionic pulse, at the klingon vessel, will cause their plasma-coils to falter which in turn will activate their cloaking-device."

Sulu turned around at the new. "Deactivating their shields?" he said and realized the potential. "Giving us a window of two to three seconds to fire at the ship while it is unprotected."

Gars nodded and drank some more of the strong liquor and then found a seat to rest in. "And… a high concentration of neutrinos will be capable of triggering the detonators used by the klingon tretryon-devices."

"This is good news" Sulu said and sat down in his chair behind his desk. "How do we deliver the neutrinos?"

"Four probes" Gars explained. "Shrav is right now looking into re-configuring four probes to release high amounts of neutrinos. Tuvok has calculated that if we launch them and manage to box in the Gr'oth, so to speak, the levels of neutrinos should be enough to detonate all tetryon-devices on the Gr'oth."

"That is it!" Sulu said with a smile and hit the desk. "By god, that is it!" The captain got up on his feet, unable to sit still. "We use an ionic pulse to activate Koloths cloak, lowering his shields in the process. Unshielded, he will be vulnerable, allowing our probes to blast his ship with neutrinos and detonate the tetryon-devices. Cloaked, and armed with only photon-torpedoes, Koloth will be unable to prevent our escape." Sulu was feeling hopefull, so much so that he could not help himself from planning ahead. "We will head for Korvat Five and Koloth will follow. We will bait the klingons and take them directly to Emelie and the romulans."

"And what of the second ship?" Gars wondered, glass in hand. "It is most likely another D7 battlecruiser."

"Koloth is intent on our destruction" Sulu said, nodding as he though upon the klingon warlords state of mind. "He will not let anyone else claim victory this day. It would dishonor him. We have a plan" Sulu then said and turned to his commander. "We have a plan, Nathalie. We need to prepare."

"At once, captain."

 **XXX XXX**

D'jalel and Toldol entered the cardassian bridge and joined Director Rukat on the elevated platform that allowed him to look down on all officers and crew manning the various stations of the bridge. On the main screen, two position of the two klingon vessels were clearly indicated.

"The IKS HaH'vat is moving away at three quarters impulse" Rukat said. "And the Gr'oth is circling around and is heading straight for the Excelsior."

D'jalel eyed the information provided by the cardassian ships sensors. "An attack-run?"

Rukat turned to watch events unfold as well. "Will accomplish nothing" he said, arms casually folded over his back. "They could possibly intend to ram the Excelsior."

"Even klingons use that as a last resort" Toldol pointed out, him too studying what was taking place with some confusion.

The cardassian captain of the vessel turned from a station and addressed Rukat directly. "The IKS Gr'oth appears to have released a portion of their ventral hull-plating."

The piece of thick, reinforced hull-plating was soon visible up on the screen as it floated off into space on its own.

"Radiation-emotions from the Gr'oth is drastically increasing" the captain then informed.

"The warpcore is exposed" Toldol said as he realized what had happened.

D'jalel turned into an image of intense rage. "Toldol… detonate the Federation torpedo. Now!"


	13. Chapter 13

The IKS Gr'oth increased velocity as it was diving down towards the rings of dust and debris surrounding the planet of Korvat Six, and the enemy-vessel hiding within them. Onboard, Korax studied the details and graphs of their intended plan of attack.

"Warp-core ready to eject" Korax reported. "Time to ejection, twenty seconds."

Koloth said with a finger hovering over a key on a console attached to his chair; pressing that specific button would launch the ships warp-core into space, sending it and all of the anti-matter that it contained towards the USS Excelsior. Effectively a bomb with the power to destroy an entire continent.

"Fifteen seconds" Korax said, following the Gr'oths attack-run on the screens of the bridge.

Koloth slowly moved his finger closer to the key that would doom Hikaru Sulu and the USS Excelsior; the ship, with all of its crew, would die by his hand, by his command. Today, honor would be satisfied.

A massive explosion shook the IKS Gr'oth, sending klingons standing upright falling over and tumbling along the floor. Koloth was almost thrown from his seat and others were. Red lights flashed and a klaxon roared throughout the ships corridors and compartments.

 **XXX XXX**

"The Gr'oth has been hit!" Mogh reported and, like the rest on the bridge of the IKS HaH'vat, turned to watch events unfold on the main viewer.

Kang saw the flames and smoke erupting from the rear of the klingon battleship, below its main impulse-engines. Dax felt the tension build on the bridge, and in his chest and stomach, as the damaged IKS Gr'oth was leaving a thick trail of dense smoke behind it. He could not help but hope it was enough to save the Excelsior and her crew from certain death.

 **XXX XXX**

"Core-breach!" Bakula roared, the Main Advisor relaying the information provided by his station on the bridge of the IKS Gr'oth. "Dilithium detonation in eight seconds!"

"We must eject the core!" Korax growled, clinging to the seat of a control-station.

"Ejecting!" Koloth shouted and hit the console with a clenched fist.

The warp-core shot out from the open hull on the battleships belly, a rod glowing brightly blue as it slowly began to spin on its descent towards the rings below.

"Braga!" Koloth snarled at the pilot from his seat. "Raise shields and take us out of here!"

Braga did not bother answering his lord, instead, the pilot of the IKS Gr'oth pulled two of the four levers used to steer the ship towards him as hard as he could; as he did, the ship struggled to obey the commands as the Gr'oths inertia-dampeners took serious abuse in order to comply with the pilots wishes.

 **XXX XXX**

Mogh studied the scans of the situation unfolding. "The Gr'oth has veered off. They have ejected their warp-core. The core will impact with the rings in thirteen seconds."

"Are we safe?" Dax wondered.

Mogh eyed the trill, almost with loathing. "As safe as we can be" he answered.

"All power to shields" Kang ordered, appearing almost calm despite the situation at hand.

 **XXX XXX**

Almost a hundred personnel of the Excelsiors crew were outside, in spacesuits or operating shuttles, conducting repairs to get the ship prepared for leaving the safety of the rings. All of a sudden, a bright flash erupted far above and directly behind the USS Excelsior, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turning to take a look.

A few seconds later, the blast hit them.

 **XXX XXX**

Kang and Dax, along with all the klingons on the bridge of the HaH'vat, watched as the explosion tore a great rift in the rings, obliterating matter in a matter of seconds.

Kang got up on his feet. "Quick! Status of the Gr'oth?!"

One of the klingons quickly adjusted his screens. "Adrift, my lord, but with life-support."

"They are not answering our hails" Mogh added.

Another klingon turned his chair to deliver his findings. "We have two-hundred and thirty-two life-signatures on the Gr'oth. All klingon."

Mogh sounded almost dismayed. "Out of a crew of four-hundred."

Dax swallowed, clearing his throat from the lump of angst that had built up there. "And the Excelsior?" he eventually dared to ask.

A bit reluctantly did Mogh check the status of the Federation vessel. "Adrift with life-support. One-hundred and sixty-three life-signatures, multiple species."

Curzon Dax felt pressure in his chest, a hole growing in his belly. "By the gods" he whispered. "The Excelsior had a crew of five-hundred."

Kangs expression was grim and determined. As he spoke, his voice seemed deeper than usual. "Pilot! Turn us around and plot an intercept-course with the IKS Gr'oth."

 **XXX XXX**

Director Rukat had a vicious smile on his lips as he saw what had taken place in orbit of Korvat Six. The klingon ship, the IKS Gr'oth, was heavily damaged and adrift, as was the USS Excelsior; both ships had suffered massive casualties to their crews. Somehow, the thought of so many klingons and Starfleet officers, all enemies of the Cardassian Empire, was most satisfying. He turned around as a small group of romulans entered the bridge of the cardassian cargo-ship.

"A successful detonation" Rukat said, ever smiling. "Both ships are more or less destroyed with hundreds of crew dead on both ships."

"And the HaH'vat?" D'jalel inquired.

"Turning around" Rukat admitted. "But heading for the Gr'oth. For the moment, the Excelsior has some respite from klingon wrath." Rukat turned his attention back to the ships surrounding Korvat Six, as seen on the main screen of the bridge. "The HaH'vat suffered only minor damage from the explosion. What ever the case, the Excelsior will stand no chance of escaping Kang and his ship; the Excelsior, and the information it carries, will be destroyed before ever reaching Federation space. Your mission has failed, commander."

"My mission has altered somewhat" D'jalel said in response. "Tell me, director, how many men do you have onboard right now?"

Director Rukat offered D'jalel a glance. "At the moment? Fourteen, with thirty-six back at Korvat City. As you recall, we were in a bit of a rush to hunt down your human spy."

"Excellent" D'jalel said and turned to give her fellow romulans, five in total after having successfully transported onboard both agents from the pod attached to the IKS Gr'oth. The romulan commander then turned her attention back at Rukat. "Then I am afraid I have no choice but to commandeer your ship, director."

D'jalel grabbed hold of Rukat and forced him to his knees, and a split second later, snapped his neck. Before the director even had hit the floor, the other romulans opened fire with their disruptors, gunning down the cardassians operating the bridge. Within a few seconds, all eight cardassians found on the bridge were dead.

"Find the others" D'jalel told her subordinates. "Kill them all."

"At once" Toldol said and took point as he and the other romulans headed to clear out the ship from any cardassian presence.

 **XXX XXX**

Eckenwald was applying a bandage to his captains head, Sulu having suffered a nasty cut along his brow that had covered his face in blood. Sulu had been lucky; most of his crew were either badly injured, severely injured even, or dead. Or soon to be dead. The doctor had thrown his uniform-jacket to the side long before treating the captain; his clothes covered in sot and blood, the blood of others, red, blue, green and yellow. Sulu was also a mess, covered in his own blood, as well as sot, his uniform torn and ruined.

Sulu took a quick look around and saw his bridge in shambles; the dead were still being removed, having died by their stations or lay scattered on the floor. He sighed with relief as he spotted Nathalie Gars, his executive officer, still alive, her right arm and leg treated for burns.

"There you go" Eckenwald said as he secured the bandages in place. "Just leave it be and it will heal within the next sixteen hours."

"Thank you, doctor" Sulu said and slowly pushed himself out of his captains chair.

"What the hell happened?" Eckenwald wondered as he took a look at the ruined bridge, floor cracked and ceiling caving in, stations burning and blood splattered here and there.

"No idea" Sulu said as he tried to button his jacket, but the pain in his ribs was a constant obstacle to overcome. "But whatever it was, it did a number on us."

"Captain" Gars said as she limped on over. "Initial reports indicate that we have life-support on most decks, artificial gravity is functional on half the ship. Main power is down and auxiliary is only operational at thirty-two percent."

"And the Gr'oth?" Sulu wondered, instinctively looking at the broken viewscreen before turning back to Gars.

Gars shook her head. "We have no way of knowing, captain. We are blind and def and disabled. Unable to see, move or make contact with anyone."

At that point, ensign Tuvok entered the bridge, a cut over his left eye and bandages wrapped around his right arm. "Captain. Commander" he said and gained the attention of the superior officers. "I regret to report that lieutenant commander Karalga is dead. Crushed beneath a collapsing bulkhead."

The news made Sulu and his commander and chief medical officer lower their heads in grief. Eckenwald cursed in his native german language and Gars found a chair to sit down in, resting her weary body.

Tuvok took a moment to remember his mental training and regained his ability to focus. "I took the liberty to reroute power to the primary-hulls fourth sensor-grid, and I have linked the readings to this datapad" the vulcan said and handed over the pad to Sulu. "It is an electromagnetic image of our aft sectors… clearly depicting the IKS Gr'oth."

Sulu took a moment to figure out what he was looking at as the datapad displayed waves and curves in various colors. But in the end, he too spotted the clear shape of a klingon vessel in the midst of colors and lines.

Tuvok, arms folded on his back, explained what the captain was looking at. "The electromagnetic scans clearly indicate that the IKS Gr'oth is badly damaged, but still has power. What ever it was that damaged us, also damaged the Gr'oth."

"The romulans" Eckenwald said, hands resting on his hips and shaking his head. "Bloody pointy-eared bastards! They did this!"

"Indeed, doctor" Tuvok said. "For some reason, they decided to intervene. I suspect that they found out that the klingons were about to destroy us and decided to prevent that from happening."

"And what of the other klingon ship?" Sulu inquired.

"Unknown" Tuvok admitted. "It is either out of our sensor-range, or, positioned ahead of us."

"I'll find Shrav" Gars said and got back on her feet. "See what shape we are in."

"Do that" Sulu nodded. "And find lieutenant commander Atl while you're at it, and send him up here."

"Right away" Gars said and headed for the turbolifts.

Eckenwald watched the commander leave and then turned to his captain. "Sulu, we are in no condition to take on the klingons. The ship is unable to fly and most of the crew are dead. We should consider surrendering."

Sulu looked at Eckenwald with almost insane eyes, appearing even more dramatic with his face covered in sot and blood, wrapped in bandages. "Surrender?!" he frowned and shook his head. "I will not surrender to klingon scum! Never! I will not let them get away with murder and slaughter as they please! I have lost too many friends, too many good officers because of their barbaric customs! They attack our ships and we accept their apologies! They raid our colonies and we accept their tokens of good will! Well, not any more! It ends here! Today, we fight back! Today, we do not surrender! Today, we kill as many of them as they kill of us! Because today, I have had enough! And I will not surrender this ship, or this crew, to anyone; be it klingons or romulans or cardassians! So let them come! Let them come and I will greet them with phasers and hate! Do you hear me doctor?! HATE!"

Sulu stormed off the bridge, disappearing into his ready-room, leaving behind crew that were baffled at the outburst. Awkwardly, everyone returned to their duties, trying to treat the injured, repairing the bridge or removing the dead.

 **XXX XXX**

Koloth, sitting in his chair on the bridge, was breathing heavily to cope with the pain burning in his broken body. Klingons were trying to put out fires all around, thick smoke gathering in the ceiling. All screens flickered and their images were distorted. His crew did their best to keep the ship operational as damage-reports flooded in from every deck.

"Braga!" Koloth growled. "Braga!" he repeated but got no response.

Korax limped on over to the pilots-station at the fore of the bridge and found the ships pilot slumped over his controls. The executive officer pulled the dead pilot from the seat and sat himself down by the controls of the IKS Gr'oth.

"Braga is dead" Korax reported as he pressed keys and flicked switches to gain control of the vessel. "Korax is the pilot."

"Good" Koloth nodded and sat himself up straight in his chair, grinning from pain. "The Excelsior… Is it destroyed?"

"No, my lord" Korax reported and aimed a finger at the main viewer and its out of focus depiction of the Starfleet vessel. "It is adrift in open space. No longer protected by the rings."

Koloths face turned into a fierce snarl. "Redirect power to weapons… Attack!"

Koraxs only response was a growl as he operated the controls of the battleship in order to follow his lords command.

 **XXX XXX**

Tuvok entered the ready-room and found the captain behind his desk, the room itself appeared as if a hurricane had redecorated it. Sulu was going through information on a datapad when he spotted the vulcan.

"What is it, ensign?"

"Captain" the young vulcan said as he tried to avoid stepping on the debris that filled the room. "I came to inform you that it appears as if the Gr'oth is heading towards us. The klingons appear intent on our destruction and a response is advisable."

"Response?" Sulu said with a sneer. "Are you here to convince me to surrender as well?"

"On the contrary, captain. A surrender at this point is not logical, for the klingons will not accept a surrender when they are this close to achieving victory. Our only two options are to either self-destruct, or, force the klingons to accept defeat."

Sulu slowly turned to eye the young ensign. "Defeat?"

"They are severely damaged, captain" Tuvok said, "and have no shields, as far as I can tell, using very rudimentary sensors. We have Shravs neutrino-probes and can destroy their ability to utilize disruptors."

"And their photon-torpedoes?"

Tuvok felt forced to let out a sigh as he replied to the question. "Concerning their ability to utilize photon-torpedoes, all I can say is… We will have to rely on a calculated risk that they do not have the ability to launch their torpedoes."

Sulu got out of his chair and placed the datapad in his hands on his desk. Hikaru Sulu studied the vulcan joining him in the ready-room as he gathered his thoughts.

"Ensign" Sulu eventually said. "Launch the probes. And have everyone man their battle-stations."

"At once, captain."

"And ensign."

Tuvok stopped just as the door opened to allow him to leave the ready-room, and turned to face the captain.

"Consider yourself the ships acting chief science officer, as of now."

Tuvok appeared somewhat uncertain of the decision, but in the end, he seemed to accept it. "Thank you, captain" he said and left the ready-room.

Sulu walked over to a panel in the wall and removed it and retrieved the belt with a holster and phaser-pistol, securing it around his waist. With the phaser in hand, he adjusted it to the kill-setting.

 **XXX XXX**

"The Gr'oth has shut down their engines and redirected all power to their disruptors" Mogh told his lord and master. "The Excelsior has no shields and are undefended."

"Kang, stop them!" Dax exclaimed and turned to the lord of the IKS HaH'vat. "You know the romulans are behind this."

"Koloth refuses to listen to reason" Kang said. "And he will not power down his weapons at the moment of victory. Once Hikaru is dead and the Excelsior is destroyed, Koloth will be satisfied and will listen to what you have to say."

"After they are all dead?!" Dax felt frustration grow. "Kang, you know that their deaths are meaningless. There is no honor to be had here if it all was a romulan deception."

Mogh sneered and snarled. "Our scans tell us it was a Federation torpedo that struck the Gr'oth. It's shields were down and left vulnerable, and was hit by a new Starfleet weapon. Koloth has every right to engage and destroy the Excelsior."

"What of the two matter-transfers you discovered?" Dax countered. "Two humanoids were beamed off the Gr'oth seconds before the ship was attacked. Are you telling me that is not suspicious?"

Mogh snarled and waved his arm to dismiss the trill. "You make no sense!"

"You know I do!" Dax argued. "Do you really think the Excelsior launched a cloaked torpedo? And that Koloth transported two members of his crew off the ship moments before that torpedo hit?"

"Mogh" Kang eventually said. "Where did those matter-transfers rematerialize?"

"Unknown" Mogh was forced to admit, "but the matter-streams were pulled towards Korvat Five."

"Korvat Five is uninhabited" Curzon pointed out to Mogh and then turned back to Kang. "I bet there is a ship there, in orbit."

Kang gave Mogh a long look and the HaH'vats second in command understood what it meant, and turned to a station and turned a few dials to adjust the ships scanners.

"A cardassian cargo-ship" Mogh eventually said. "The Grelkat, in high orbit of Korvat Five."

"That is the enemy" Dax said and placed himself directly in front of Kang. "That ship beamed aboard two romulan agents, the two romulans that detonated an explosive-device on the Gr'oth. Intercept that ship, Kang, and you will find glory in revealing, and defeating, your true enemy."

They were, however, interrupted as a klingon serving on the bridge called out for everyone to hear. "The Excelsior has launched four probes! Dispersed to envelop the Gr'oth!"

Mogh confirmed the readings. "Four probes. Blasting the space between them with neutrinos."

Dax shook his head. "Damn it, Sulu… You just don't know when to quit, do you."

 **XXX XXX**

"My lord!" Bakula said as he looked over his shoulder at Koloth. "All our tetryon-devices have detonated; the entire ship is flooded with dangerous levels of tetryon-radiation. We will all die from radiation-sickness if we do not get medical attention, or abandon ship in thirty-six hours."

Korax checked his instruments, and as he did, slammed his controls with both fists. "All disruptors are jammed! We have no weapons! The disruptors are disabled and the torpedo-launcher was damaged by the blast!"

Koloth turned into a massive frown and spat at the floor with a snarl. "Ready boarding-parties…" the klingon warlord said with a growl escaping his throat, "have every warrior arm himself for close-quarters-combat. We launch all boarding-craft in twenty minutes."

Korax got out of the pilots-seat and slowly nodded at the command given by Koloth. Pride filled his chest and his heart pumped with a lust for bloodshed as the prospect of engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand-combat filled his thoughts.

"This day, lord Koloth, we shall heap glory upon your name as we slaughter our foe in honorable combat."

Koloth freed his bat'leth, secured as it was next to his chair, and stood up, tall and resolute in front of his crew. "We charge them head on! For glorious victory, or glorious death! For today, my fellow warriors, is a good day to die."

 **XXX XXX**

"Eight large shuttlecraft, four medium sized and six smaller shuttles" Tuvok told the senior staff of the USS Excelsior that had gathered in the main briefing-room. "Every shuttle available on the IKS Gr'oth has left the ship and is heading straight for us. Combined, they can carry half of the ships crew."

Atl was first to address the report. "The other half can be beamed aboard our ship, fifty men at a time. They will beam aboard moments before the transports breach our hull. Their primary objectives will most likely be engineering and the bridge."

Gars nodded in agreement. "If they take control of those two sections, they will effectively control the ship, leaving us all at their mercy."

"Barricades are being built at key junctions throughout the ship" Shrav said. "The klingons will be forced to attack prepared defenses, to the best of our abilities. I have instructed the crew to throw out broken glass and any pieces of sharp debris they can find to make the klingon advance as difficult as possible."

"All in all, captain" lieutenant Angred, the tellarite, said and turned to Sulu, "we will give those stinking bastards a fight the rest of them will sing songs about."

"Good work, all of you" Sulu said, unable to hide the pride he felt. "We have all faced the challenge of the Kobayashi Maru" he then reminded them of the famous test of Starfleet Academy, placing the cadets in a no-win situation, "facing impossible odds. I had the honor of serving with the only captain that beat those odds. Captain Kirk did not believe in no-win situations. Captain Kirk did not believe in defeat. If it's one thing that my service on the USS Enterprise taught me, it was that there is always a way. There is always hope. Remember that today… No matter the situation, there is always hope."


	14. Chapter 14

The klingon shuttles flew in towards the broken form of the USS Excelsior, its hull cracked and dented at multiple places, jets of smoke and atmosphere venting from several hull-breaches. One by one, the klingon vessels attached themselves to the hull of the Federation starship, at viewports or airlocks, and within moments had forced an entry.

"Koloths forces has boarded the ship" Mogh said.

"It has begun" Kang nodded, sitting in his captains chair.

Dax was pacing, frustrated and nervous of the reports that was to come from the battle that was about to take place on the decks of the USS Excelsior.

"My lord" Mogh then said, sounding a bit surprised. "We are being hailed by the IKS Klothos."

"The Klothos?" Kang sounded just as surprised.

At the mention of the ship, Curzon Dax suddenly felt relieved and even hopeful.

"On viewer" Kang ordered.

A few short seconds later, a flickering image of the famous klingon warlord known as Kor of House Ryna appeared; the flickering indicating he was transmitting from a cloaked vessel.

"Hail, Kang!" the klingon noble burst out, smiling wide and chuckled, holding up a cup of blood-wine in a toast.

"Kor, son of Rynar" Kang replied in a more traditional manner.

"You have a trill on your ship" Kor then said, after drinking a large mouthful of blood-wine. "If it is my good friend Curzon, I hope he is in better shape than that Starfleet cruiser."

"I am fine, Kor" Dax said and positioned himself to be seen in the opposite viewer.

"Bruised and black-eyed!" Kor laughed as he noted the trills current condition. "You never did learn when to duck, did you, Curzon!" Kor tossed his cup of wine to the side and smiled warmly. "Kang of Ansara, would you mind being a good host and offer a guest some wine and meat?"

At that moment, the IKS Klothos, a klingon Bird-of-Prey, decloaked to the starboard of the IKS HaH'vat, directly alongside the larger battlecruiser.

 **XXX XXX**

Lieutenant commander Atl, along with four security-officers, all of them equipped with combat-vests and combat-helmets and armed with phaser-rifles, watched the klingon shuttles from a viewport along the aft of the saucer-section that gave the Starfleet officers a good look down at the secondary hull. Retrieving his commlink, Atl held it close to his mouth.

"Captain, the klingons have attached themselves to our hull. As far as I can tell, they have boarded us."

On the bridge, the area turned into a make-shift fort with each entrance barricaded and guarded, captain Sulu, also wearing a combat-vest, answered the lieutenant commander via his own commlink.

"Good work, mister Atl. Head back to you checkpoint."

"Yes, sir" came the reply over the static.

"Mister Shrav?" Sulu then said.

In a compartment filled with piping, vents, hydraulics and computers, lieutenant commander Shrav stood waiting with a team of which everyone wore the red of Starfleet Engineering department.

"Shrav here" the andorian responded in his own commlink.

Sulus voice was clearly heard over the commlink. "You may begin."

"Acknowledged. Shrav out."

The andorian turned and gave the men and women under his command a nod, and instantly, they began manually spinning six valves as fast as they could.

 **XXX XXX**

Koloth jumped down from the open hatch of the craft that had secured itself to the hull of the Excelsior, having cut its way through the hull where a viewport once had been. A full dozen klingon warriors had secured the room and stood ready to advance further into the ship. They were all armed with bat'leths and mek'leths and other melee-weapons; as the tetryon-devices on the Gr'oth had detonated, all their disruptors, both cannons and handheld, had been made inoperable by the radiation, leaving the klingons with only edged weapons to conduct their assault with. Not that they minded it, quite the opposite.

"Korax?" Koloth said via his commlink.

"Korax here" the second in command responded. "Moving towards engineering. So far, no resistance."

Koloth snarled. "Be wary for ambushes. My men and I have set foot inside and will advance on the bridge."

"Affirmative, my lord. For honor and glory."

Koloth nodded. " _Qapla'_ " he said in return and cut transmission, after which he took the lead and stepped out into the corridors of the Excelsior, followed by his warriors.

 **XXX XXX**

One by one, the valves came to a sudden stop as they could be opened no further.

"All fuel-injectors manually opened!" an engineering lieutenant shouted across the room.

Shrav turned to the station he was waiting next to, placed a hand on the lever it offered, and then activated his commlink.

"Captain, this is Shrav. Hold on, we're igniting thrusters."

And with that, Shrav pulled the lever and the entire saucer-section shook.

Each of the aft-facing thrusters on the saucer-section ignited simultaneously, applying force to the primary hull of the USS Excelsior through basic rocket-science; slowly but surely, the saucer-section began moving away from the secondary-hull.

"Captain, we have momentum!" Shrav said over the commlink, unable to suppress his excitement. "Saucer-separation under way!"

 **XXX XXX**

Korax and close to eighty klingon warriors stormed the engineering-section of the USS Excelsior, roaring and howling with their edged weapons ready to kill all resistance. But their bloodlust would soon fade as they realized there were no Starfleet officers present, no crew to fight them or protect the engineering-bay or the warp-core.

"Korax!" Bakula said as he leaned in over some of the Starfleet engineering-consoles. "The warp-core has been deactivated. The dilithium-chamber has been taken off-line. The ship has only basic power, nothing else; life-support and gravity, that's it."

"What are these cowards up to?" Korax growled as he looked around in hopes of finding some evidence of an ambush. "Where are they?!"

 **XXX XXX**

Sulu listened to the low rumble as the thrusters pushed the massive saucer-section, sending a tremor through the entire primary-hull.

"Mister Tuvok" Sulu then said over the commlink. "You're up. Be careful."

Standing inside a shuttlecraft intended for VIP-duty, ensign Tuvok was clad in a spacesuit, save for the helmet. "Be assured, captain" the acting chief science officer replied, "I intend to." And with that, Tuvok closed transmission and turned to the pilot of the luxurious craft. "Ensign Faradal, if you please."

The aaamazzarite activated the shuttle and took it out of its docking-bay, located on the top of the saucer-section, facing aft and linked with the diplomatic guest-quarters of the ship. Faradal steered the shuttlecraft directly towards the secondary-hull that the saucer-section was increasing distance to.

On the bridge, Sulu and the others were suddenly overwhelmed by the noise of combat. Large explosions and the sound of phasers firing reached their ears and within seconds the roars of klingons mingled with the desperate cries of Starfleet officers. Lieutenant commander Atl hurriedly entered the bridge and made his way to the captain.

"Sir, the klingons are attacking checkpoints Bravo, Charlie and Echo. Full assault. This is it, they're coming. But they have no disruptors. So far they seem to rely on chock-grenades and smoke to screen their assaults."

"Hold the line, mister Atl" Sulu said, giving the chief of security a stern look. "We will provide you with reinforcements as you need them."

"Yes, sir" Atl said and hurried back to the fighting.

Eckenwald moved over to the captain, uncertainty and worry radiating from his inner core. "Damn it, Sulu… Is this really the way?"

"It is now" was Sulus cold response.

A response that did not sit well with the chief medical officer. "It will be a massacre, on both sides."

"They have no firearms" Sulu reminded Eckenwald, looking him straight in the eye. "We do. Their pride will be their downfall. They will come at us and we will gun them down, one by one."

"That simple, huh?" Eckenwald frowned and was not convinced. "If its one thing experience has taught me while patrolling the neutral zone, it is to never underestimate a klingon."

"Tend to the wounded, doctor" Sulu said with a clinched jaw, restraining himself not to make a scene in front of the crew.

Enraged and frustrated, Eckenwald sighed and left the captain, heading to perform his duty onboard the ship; treat the injured and keep them alive to the best of his abilities.

 **XXX XXX**

Faradal settled the shuttle right on top of the neck-piece of the Excelsiors secondary-hull. The rear airlock opened and Tuvok stepped out into the void, carrying a large device with him as the thrusters on his spacesuit carried him towards a large, sealed hatch.

"Hurry up, Tuvok" Faradal said as he tried to spot enemy shuttles from his cockpit.

"Securing klingon torpedo in place" Tuvok reported his actions over the short-range commlink, as he sat kneeling and attached the warhead with magnets on top of the hatch. "Applying the device provided by lieutenant commander Shrav" he then said as he did exactly that, securing a small explosive to the warhead, custom-built by the ships chief engineer for the task at hand.

"Come on, come on" Faradal urged his fellow ensign.

Tuvok was not about to rush things. "May I remind you, ensign Faradal, that I am currently building a make-shift bomb out of a rigged fuel-cell and a klingon photon-torpedo, applied directly on top of the Excelsiors power-distribution system. Suffice to say, taking a short cut at this point could be extremely counter-productive."

Faradal shook his head, ever vigilant of incoming klingon shuttlecraft. "Tuvok, just get it done."

"That, ensign, is exactly my intention."

 **XXX XXX**

Kor, wearing a sash of iron-chains and links over his attire of fur and armor, studied the scene as it unfolded on the screen in Kangs audience-chamber. The Excelsiors saucer-section was leaving the secondary-hull behind, slowly increasing distance with each second.

"Clever" Kor said, cup of wine in hand. "Hikaru of Akira just separated Koloths forces, halving the troops at his disposal to secure the bridge."

"Koloth has overcome greater odds" Kang reminded his fellow lord and noble.

Kor nodded and grinned. "True, the tough old targ has done that."

Curzon decided to cut in on the discussion, to try and steer it towards a more productive conclusion. "Kor, my dear friend, what about the romulans? You surely must see the evidence presented before us?"

Kor turned his bright yellow eyes on the trill, drank some wine and gave the matter some thought. "There is much strangeness surrounding these events. Like that vulcan, Sybok, knowing who would be here and why. And now you say cardassians are involved as well?"

"Possibly" Kang admitted and sipped his own goblet of blood-wine. "The matter-streams would suggest it is so."

"Kor, they have Emelie" Dax said, hoping it would spark some urge to go rushing into battle. "Emelie is at the mercy of dishonorable romulans and cowardly cardassians."

"Emelie?" Kor said. "Captured?" The warlord shook his head and sighed. "Grim news you bring me, Curzon of Dax. Emelie reminded me much of her father, the great Kirk, James of George. She had his spirit, the heart of a warrior. I liked her very much."

Dax grabbed hold of Kors clothing. "Then join with me, Kor, son of Rynar, as I, Curzon of Dax, charge into battle to rescue her from filth without honor."

Kor studied the trill, first by looking at the hand holding him, and then by locking eyes with the Federation ambassador. "Ha!" Kor burst out laughing and slapped Curzon over the shoulder, sending the trill stumbling a couple of steps. "I told you, didn't I, Kang?" Kor turned with a wide smile that bared his fangs. "After six generations, a trill can muster the courage of a klingon!"

"His words are those of a klingon" Kang admitted, "yet his tongue is still that of a trill."

"Trill, klingon, human, vulcan!" Kor said as he waved an arm about. "What does it matter? What matters is courage and honor! The very reason we all raise our cups as we hear the name Kirk. And Kirks daughter needs our help. Honor demands that we come to her aid, if only to honor her father, the great James of George, commander of the famed Enterprise."

"Even if her father wasn't Kirk…" Kang said, but did not finish the sentence as his eyes became locked to the large screen the chamber.

Dax and Kor both turned and saw what had distracted Kang; a series of massive internal explosions that, one by one, ripped the secondary-hull of the Excelsior apart from within, cracking it wide open and sending both nacelles spinning wildly into space.

Kor slowly raised his cup in honor of the klingons that mere seconds before had been obliterated. "For the Empire."

 **XXX XXX**

"Captain" Tuvok said over the commlink, still wearing the spacesuit, looking out from the open airlock of the shuttlecraft. "Mission successful. The secondary-hull of the Excelsior has been destroyed. I fail to see how any klingons could have possibly survived."

On the saucer-section of the Excelsior, captain Sulu was engaged in the defense of checkpoint Charlie, together with a dozen Starfleet officers, armed with phaser-rifles and pistols. The corridor up ahead was filled with dense smoke, making it impossible to make out any targets, and matters were made worse as the klingons kept throwing chock-grenades, blasting the barricades with deafening noise and blinding light.

"Excellent work, mister Tuvok!" Sulu said in between firing his phaser-pistol at shadows moving in the wall of smoke. "Hurry back!"

"Not to worry, captain" Tuvoks voice sounded in the commlink. "Ensign Faradal will make sure of that."

Sulu flipped the commlink shut and returned it to his belt. A mek'leth came flying out of the smoke and hit a young female ensign of Engineering department in the leg; her screams of pain were clearly heard as medical personnel dragged her away for treatment.

Lieutenant commander Atl fired his phaser-rifle and a klingon was heard roaring as he hit his intended target. The chief of security ducked down into cover and took a moment to catch his breath.

"This is insane, captain" Atl said. "Their advance is slow, but they are advancing. And when their grenades start hitting our side of the barricades, we will have no other choice but to fall back."

Sulu took aim and fired his phaser, but could not tell if he hit anything, the wall of smoke covering the corridor was simply too dense. "Until that happens, we hold" Sulu growled as he took a knee next to Atl. "We need to inflict as many casualties as possible before we abandon any one of our checkpoint."

"Captain!"

Sulu and Atl turned around as commander Gars came limping towards them, badly injuried from laceration on her right arm and left leg. The blood covered her entire uniform. But what was perhaps more astonishing was the fact that she carried a bat'leth, a bat'leth covered in the purple blood of klingons.

"Captain" Gars said again, "Delta has fallen. We could not hold them, we had to fall back. Echo was overrun as well. Everything is falling apart."

Sulu cursed in his native tongue of japanese at the news. After a moment of thought, he grabbed his commlink. "Everyone, this is the captain; fall back to the bridge! I repeat, everyone, fall back to the bridge now!" Flipping the device shut, he then turned to his fellow staff officers. "Lets go!"

 **XXX XXX**

Klingon warriors kicked down the barricades and pushed on through, at times stepping over the dead, at other times making sure their enemies were truly dead by slashing their bodies with their traditional klingon weaponry.

Bloodied, bruised and wounded, Koloth showed his warriors to the side as he made his way through the throng of klingons. His grip on his bat'leth turned his knuckles white. Koloth growled with each exhale as he took a long look at the sealed doorway in front of him. He was no expert in the languages of the Federation, but he knew at least that the eight words on the door, written in as many alien languages, translated into the klingon word for Bridge. Turning, his bloodthirsty gaze pierced his warriors.

"Open it."

Two klingons, larger and stronger than most of their species, stepped up and grabbed one half of the door each; their clawed fingers digging into the thin separation that split the doorway. All their comrades readied themselves to rush their enemy as soon as the doors had been forced open; they would charge into a wall of phaser-fire, climb over their own dead, and kill as many Starfleet officers as they could, using weapons, fists or teeth. Their eyes were mad with bloodlust, some of them had mouths foaming; fangs were bared and the sounds of wild animals, snarls and growls, erupted from every throat.

The doorway was opened, splitting in two and removed any obstacle between the corridor and the bridge of the USS Excelsior. The klingons charged!

But came to a halt after only a step or two as they realized they were faced by klingon warriors, aiming disruptor-pistols at them. The sheer surprise and unexpected turn of events, not to mention the anticlimax of not charging into a deadly maelstrom of bloody carnage, left the crew of the IKS Gr'oth baffled. And Koloth could barely believe his eyes as one of the opposing klingons took a step forward, a wide and confident grin stuck to his features.

"Koloth, old friend! You look like you could use a bath."

Koloth simply eyed the other klingon lord, amazed and bewildered. "Kor?" he then said, sounding as baffled as he was.

"And he is not alone" a deep, rumbling voice said, and pushing his way through the ranks of klingons on the opposite side of the doorway was none other than Kang. "Victory is yours, Koloth, son of Lasshar. Now, we have more important matters to resolve."

 **XXX XXX**

"The IKS HaH'vat has detected a total of four matter-streams from orbit of Korvat Six" Dax explained, standing in the main briefing-room of the Excelsior. "Two from an unknown point of origin below the rings, roughly below the Excelsior. The last two were beamed off the Gr'oth and rematerialized somewhere in orbit of Korvat Five. We believe that these were romulan agents, beamed to safety by their allies, allies operating a cardassian cargo-ship called the Grelkat."

He was joined by the three intimidating klingons warlords, Kang, Kor and Koloth, as well as the captain of the USS Excelsior, Hikaru Sulu, and the young vulcan ensign, Tuvok.

Tuvok nodded. "The first two matter-streams were most likely the two mysterious figures that ejected out of the pod that was attached to our ship."

"And you have given us your word, Koloth, that you had nothing to do with this pod." Kor said, turning to Koloth as he did.

"You have my word of honor" Koloth said, still covered in the blood and sot of battle.

Dax let out a sigh of relief. "Then we all agree, that the theft of the datafiles was an act carried out by enemies of both the Federation and the Klingon Empire? We have a common enemy here. I invite you all to fight this enemy."

"You have my blade, Curzon of Dax" Kor grinned and offered the trill a nod of respect.

Sulu, poorly bandaged and mended, did his best not to appear weak in front of the klingons. But it was difficult to ignore his current state of condition. "We received a transmission from lieutenant Marcus-Kirk. She was attacked by romulans. Their ship, we believe, is now in orbit of Korvat Five.

"You think she's alive?" Dax said, filled with hope.

"You said she was alive and a captive" Kor growled at the trill.

"I am sorry" Curzon told his friend of some years, "I lied. I lied to get us this far."

Kor freed his d'k tagh, and managed a step closer to the trill before Kang intervened, placing a strong hand across Kors chest.

"Kill him later" Kang told Kor. "But now, we must deal with the enemies of the empire first. After that, house Ryna may satisfy its honor."

Kor sheathed his dagger with a frown and spat at the trill. An act that did make Curzon feel like a piece of filth for having betrayed the trust of a good friend.

"The house of Lasshar needs satisfaction as well" Koloth reminded Kang. "I claim this ship, and its crew, in the name of House Lasshar, as spoils of war."

"I will not accept surrender!" Sulu snapped.

"Gentlemen!" Dax quickly intervened. "Please, let us deal with the romulans and the cardassian ship first, and kill each other later. Lord Koloth, a Starfleet officer, the daughter of Kirk, is held captive by the romulans responsible for this entire incident. If honor demands satisfaction, surely that means killing the romulans responsible for the deaths of your warriors?"

"He speaks the truth, Koloth" Kang said. "I intend to find these romulans and bring them before the High Council. Within a week, the Klingon Empire will declare war on Romulus. It would be prudent to have the Federation as an ally in that conflict. Claim the Excelsior and destroy the stolen data. But keep its crew alive, shame them in the mines of Rura Penthe. Let the Federation bargain for their release."

Koloth walked over to Kang and placed himself so close that their breaths mingled.

"You ask a lot of House Lasshar, Kang… What do I get in return?"

"I give you command of my forces in the war against the romulans" Kang replied.

A reply that chocked Kor and took both Koloth and Dax by complete surprise.

Kor could hardly believe it. "Kang, have you lost your mind?!"

"I will not fight a war that dishonors the empire!" Kang growled, baring his fangs as he spoke. "I will not fight a war forced upon me by cowards and liars. You have heard my offer, Koloth… What will it be?"

Koloth looked at Kor, then back at Kang. "Very well" he eventually nodded. "On my word."

"Now wait just a damned minute!" Sulu interrupted.

"Captain, please!" Dax placed himself in front of Sulu as the man was about to rush on over to the three klingons. "Captain, I urge you to listen to reason."

"There is logic to the proposal, captain" Tuvok said.

"Logic?!" Sulu barked. "Rura Penthe is a death-sentence! Then I would rather die here, on my post!"

"Damn it, captain!" Dax barked in turn. "Either all of your crew dies here today, or some make it back alive from Rura Penthe. I give you my word that I will do all in my power to have you all released as soon as possible."

"Your word?!" Sulu frowned. "I have precious little confidence in your word of honor, ambassador."

Tuvok was next to try and calm the captain of the Excelsior. "Captain, if I may. If you allow your crew to be executed here today, you are betraying the oath you swore upon joining Starfleet, and the oath you took when taking command of a starship. Your ultimate goal, as a captain, is to ensure the survival of your crew. As it is, Rura Penthe is your only option in ensuring that outcome, concerning what little crew you have left."

Sulu, frown ever locked on his face, sneered. "You are a true vulcan, ensign Tuvok." Sulu then turned his attention at Kang. "If I agree to this, will you rescue the Starfleet officer held captive by the romulans on the cardassian freighter? To do what ever you can to return her alive."

"As I understand it" Kang said, "I need her alive to expose the romulan plot."

Sulu nodded. "Good… Then I surrender. I surrender my ship, and my crew, to Koloth of House Lasshar."

"Thank you, captain" Dax sighed with relief.

"On one condition" Sulu added. "That you take ensign Tuvok with you. He is a damn fine officer and just as clever as any romulan. Something tells me you will have need of him."

As Tuvok raised an eyebrow at the surprising twist, Dax turned to watch the klingons react. The klingons, in turn, glanced at one another. In the end, Kor was the one to step on over to the Starfleet ensign.

"Come, vulcan" Kor said as a grin slowly grew once more on his lips, the klingon placing a hand on Tuvoks shoulder and gripping it tight. "Let's hunt some romulans."


	15. Chapter 15

"Both the HaH'vat and the Klothos are turning around" Toldol said, manning a console on the bridge of the cardassian vessel. "They are heading straight for us."

"Set a course for the rendezvous point" D'jalel said as she eyed the two klingon vessels visible on the main view-screen. "Maximum warp."

"Yes, commander" Toldol said and he, along with the rest of the romulans, began to carry out the order.

 **XXX XXX**

Onboard the IKS Klothos, Dax studied the cardassian freighter as it left orbit of Korvat Five. "They are running" the trill said and turned to the klingon warlord in command of the ship.

"Romulans do not run without reason" Kor growled, sitting in his captains chair. "Most klingons frown upon it as cowardice, but fail to realize that more often romulans return with greater numbers."

The pilot of the Klothos pointed at the main viewer in front of him. "The cardassian ship has gone to warp!"

"Lord Kang is hailing us" another klingon added.

"On viewer" Kor said and within moments the intimidating Kang appeared on the large screen. "Well, Kang? Shall we run them down?"

"They are not fast enough to outrun us" Kang concluded. "They can not escape our wrath. These romulans will die, spending their last breath looking up on me as I pull my bat'leth from their bodies."

Kor placed his fist over his chest and grinned. "To battle, then."

Transmission was cut and the two klingon vessels jumped to warp, in pursuit of the cardassian freighter.

 **XXX XXX**

The crew of the USS Excelsior were rounded up and detained in storage-areas on the saucer-section, placed under guard by their klingon captors. Sulu studied the six klingon warriors by the door for some time before he made his way over to Eckenwald, the doctor on his knees next to commander Gars, trying to mend her wounds as best he could.

"She's unconscious" the doctor said, placing two fingers against her throat to check her pulse. "Barely hanging in there."

"She's tough" Sulu reminded the lieutenant commander.

"Without proper equipment I can't guarantee she will survive this" Eckenwald said and looked up at the captain. "She's lost a lot of blood."

Sulu sighed and moved a lock of hair from Nathalies brow. She was pale and her breathing was deep and slow, tiny drops of sweat on her skin. She was in a bad shape, her wounds only rudimentary treated to stop the bleeding.

"If the klingons would just…"

"Just what?" Sulu said, interrupting the chief medical officer. "I've already tried to negotiate with Koloth and he will not give us anything. We are his prisoners now, and that means only the strong survive." Sulu frowned and groaned, shaking his head.

The frustration twisted Eckenwalds face. "Bastards the lot of them. If I ever get my hands on that trill, the son of a bitch, I will… Just what the hell was he thinking?!"

"He gave some of us a month or so to live" Sulu said and sat down, resting his back up against the wall.

Eckenwald sighed and shook his head. "And do what? Escape Rura Penthe? Great plan."

"Fight them" Sulu said and gained a suspicious look from the doctor. "That's what Dax said, right before he beamed off with Kor. Fight Koloth, he said." Sulu chuckled as he shook his head at the ridiculous situation. "We didn't stand a chance when we were armed, so I'm not sure what he thought I could do at this point."

"For having lived six or seven lifetimes" Eckenwald said, "that trill sure is an idiot."

They both burst out laughing and Eckenwald allowed himself to let Gars rest for a moment, as he sat himself down next to her, resting his back against the wall like his captain. Sitting on either side of the severely wounded commander, the two senior officers took a moment to gather their thoughts, surrounded by fifty or so of the ships crew; the others held captive elsewhere on the saucer-section.

"You know" Eckenwald then said, "there are only six guards."

"Six disruptors and hatchets" Sulu added. "They would easily kill twelve or twenty of us before we overpowered them."

"We could distract them" the doctor then suggested. "Challenge them to a game of chess perhaps? Something tells me that that would truly distract such brutes."

Sulu smiled, but then, something occurred to him. Something that could possibly work.

"I think I know what Dax had in mind" Sulu then said.

Eckenwald was not entirely sure what his captain was talking about.

 **XXX XXX**

"The cardassian vessel is not heading for cardassian space, nor is it heading for the Romulan Star Empire" Tuvok said as he studied the readings on a klingon console. "In fact, it is currently heading for the Ferengi Alliance."

"The ferengi?!" Kor said with some disbelief. "The ferengi would not have the guile to dare oppose the Klingon Empire."

"I agree" Tuvok said. "It does not seem logical that the ferengi government is involved in this plot."

"There must be something along their trajectory" Dax said, looking at Tuvok and then at Kor.

"Nothing but neutral space" Tuvok explained. "Uncharted systems and uninhabited worlds. A perfect place for friendly ships to hide; there is no one around to detect them."

"You think we are walking into a trap?" Dax sounded a bit worried.

Tuvok placed his hands behind his back as he addressed both the trill and the klingon warlord in command of the ship. "The romulans have so far showed us that their plan has been well orchestrated and impressively planned. The only thing that foiled their intentions was the fact that Sybok acted on information provided by his brother; information from the future that the romulans could never expect their enemies to possess. They are now on the run, from an operation that by all accounts should have succeeded. It is only logical to conclude that the plan of escape is as impressive as their plan of attack. The Tal Shiar is not known for making mistakes."

Kor, drinking from a cup of blood-wine, allowed a grin to grow on his lips, exposing his fangs in a vicious smile. "Well, I for one would rather die this day than live tomorrow. To glorious victory, or glorious death."

And then, as one, every klingon on the bridge began to sing.

 _Qoy qeylIs puqloD._

 _Qoy puqbe'pu'._

 _yoHbogh matlhbogh je SuvwI'_

 _Say'moHchu' may' 'Iw._

 _maSuv manong 'ej maHoHchu'._

 _nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'._

 _batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv._

 _pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'._

 _mamevQo'. maSuvtaH. ma'ov._

As Dax and Tuvok began to study the eager klingons that were singing and yearning for a fight, Kor simply laughed and raised his cup in a toast. Dax, being well versed in the klingon language, and klingon customs, knew all too well the meaning of the song.

 _Hear! Sons of Kahless._

 _Hear! Daughters too._

 _The blood of battle washes clean_

 _The Warrior brave and true._

 _We fight, we love, and then we kill._

 _Our lives burn short and bright,_

 _Then we die with honor and join our fathers in the Black Fleet where_

 _we battle forever, battling on through the Eternal fight._

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie flinched as the light hit her eyes and the sound of a door sliding open filled her ears. Squinting, she adjusted her eyes to the light and saw D'jalel entering the interrogation-chamber. Emelie was still strapped to the chair in the middle of that room.

"Your klingon friend is chasing us" D'jalel said with a smile. "Bringing your precious torpedo with him. We will kill the klingons, secure the torpedo and destroy the IKS Klothos. There will be no evidence of your plan, of your intentions. No one will try and stop me, once I have that torpedo. The Federation has no idea, and the klingons certainly don't. I will take your torpedo and use it." D'jalel leaned in towards the young human lieutenant and smiled confidently. "I will go back in time, say fifty years or so, and provide the empire with all the technology of today, and watch as Kronos, Cardassia and Earth, all the planets, are conquered one by one by the Romulan Star Empire. And you, Emelie Marcus-Kirk, will die knowing that you allowed the romulans to conquer the galaxy."

Emelie turned her head and locked eyes with the overconfident romulan. "I will kill you first."

D'jalel burst out laughing and took a couple of steps back as a result. "You are as bold as your father, aren't you? So sad" she then said, and shook her head. "So sad that you will never see him again. You will never save him." Then, something sinister stirred in D'jalel's eyes. "Instead, I will make sure he never existed at all."

Emelie tried to brake free from her bonds but it was pointless. "You Bitch!"

D'jalel smiled out of pure malice as she watched the desperate woman trying to free herself from her restraints. "Your father will die. Your mother will die. They will die screaming and in great pain. And you, vicious little thing, will never be born at all."

And with that, D'jalel turned and left. And behind her, Emelie screamed out all of her hate and desperation; had her emotions been manifested, the entire world would have burst into flames.

 **XXX XXX**

Koloth entered the storage-area that held some fifty of his prisoners. As he did, the most senior officer of the Starfleet personnel walked up to him.

"What do you want, Hikaru of Akira?" Koloth inquired with a frown.

"I challenge you to trial of combat."

The four klingons that understood the human language were all baffled to say the least. But none more so than Koloth himself.

"You what?"

Sulu straightened his back and looked as resolute as he possibly could. "If you win, and end my life, my crew is yours to enslave on Rura Penthe. But should I win, and strike you down, my crew is free to leave onboard their ship. And no klingon will do them harm."

A moment of silence. No one had been prepared, not even the crew under Sulus command. Koloth turned to his own warriors at first, but then looked back at the bold Starfleet captain.

"You ask of me to surrender my spoils?"

Sulu aimed his eyes straight at Koloths. "I ask of you to uphold honor, Koloth son of Lasshar. Or are you afraid to fight me?"

Koloth took a step forward as instinct and rage exploded within him. Murder was glowing in his eyes as honor was like a fire that spread with his blood.

"Challenge…" Koloth growled, "accepted."


	16. Chapter 16

Tension was mounting among the Starfleet officers. Having cleared the middle of the large storage-area, they stood face to face with twenty or so of their captors. Shrav, the andorian chief engineer of the USS Excelsior, walked over to captain Hikaru Sulu and presented his senior officer with a sheathed rapier.

"Right were you said it would be" Shrav told his captain. "On the wall above your bed."

"Thank you, lieutenant commander" Sulu said as he removed his Starfleet-jacket and handed it to a crewman, before accepting the sword and scabbard from the andorian.

"You're a madman" Eckenwald said as Sulu unsheathed the rapier.

Sulu studied the weapon for a brief moment, its single sharp edge, its narrow point and its beautiful handguard. The rapier perfectly balanced and felt like an extension of his own arm.

"Your confidence in me is a great comfort" Sulu then said, briefly looking at his chief medical officer.

"Damn it man, sparring is one thing. But this?!" Eckenwald hissed and pointed with his thumb at the opposite end of the storage-area. "This will get you killed."

Sulu tossed a glance at what Eckenwald was indicating with his thumb; the klingons stood gathered around their lord and commander, the impressive warrior and physical specimen that was Koloth of House Lasshar. Currently, Koloth was inspecting the curved edge of his bat'leth, standing bare chested to reveal all of his muscles, not to mention every scar he had earned in battle.

"What choice do I have, doctor?" Sulu then asked, aiming the question directly at Eckenwald. "I'm responsible for this crew."

Looking at the imposing creature that the captain intended to face in single combat, Shrav swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm glad it's not my responsibility."

An aging klingon with long gray hair, stepped into the open space between the crew of the Excelsior and the klingon warriors, and hit the floor with the shaft of his ceremonial spear.

"Listen!" he growled in broken English. "This is fight of lords! Interfere and die! The combat continues until one lord dead! Terms are agreed! Lords, step forward!"

Koloth and Sulu left their comrades and walked into the open area, standing face to face with only the aging klingon between them. Leaning against his spear, the gray-haired klingon surveyed both combatants with grim eyes.

"Lords, this is combat. Honor and courage will earn glory. Remember, beasts die, kinsmen die, you too shall die, but one thing that never dies is the glory of the honored dead. _qelIS_ is watching and waits in _Suto'vo'qor_. For glorious victory or glorious death."

The ancient klingon stepped back and returned to his fellow klingons, leaving Koloth and Sulu on their own in the middle of the room, surrounded by their comrades as witnesses to their duel.

Koloth almost snarled as he spoke. " _Qapla'_!"

And with that one word, the famed warlord readied himself for battle and took a classic stance with his bat'leth, held close to his shoulder and high, ready to engage his enemy.

"Kapla" Sulu said, his klingon not perfect, and took on a defensive stance with his rapier.

The old klingon struck the floor with his spear, and uttered a single word. " _Suvchu'_!"

At once, Koloth lunged, swinging his bat'leth and forced Sulu to parry and sidestep. Sulu had no time to regain his posture as Koloth attacked quickly in a fluid motion, making use of the momentum provided by the weight of his weapon to maintain the upper hand. Sulu was on the defensive, ducking and sidestepping one blow after the other, parrying when he could in hopes of disrupting Koloths momentum. But the klingon warrior was experienced, experience hard earned on the fields of battle. When Koloths bat'leth was struck to the side by Sulus rapier, Koloth lashed out with the backhand of his fist or with his elbow, sending the Starfleet captain reeling from the force of impact. Sulu tried to impale his opponent, but Koloth expertly parried the rapier to the side and slammed his ridged forehead into Sulus skull. As Sulu stumbled, Koloth delivered a violent kick to Sulus chest and sent him flying.

Eckenwald and Shrav managed to catch their captain in midflight before he fell over and helped him regain his balance.

"By god!" Eckenwald said as Sulu picked up his rapier from the floor. "Sulu, you're getting yourself killed!"

"Too late to change that now" the captain replied and readied himself for the continuation of the duel.

Eckenwald took a step forward out of frustration. "You can't beat him, damn it!"

The two combatants circled one another with slow steps, weapons held ready to defend or attack, surrounded by fifty Starfleet officers and twenty klingon warriors looking on as the duel unfolded. So far it was clear to everyone that Koloth had the upper hand and would most likely be victorious, unless something extraordinary happened. And soon.

Sulu tossed his weapon to the side, the rapier sliding off to the feet of Eckenwald. Everyone looked on with amazed eyes as Sulu now stood unarmed and raised his chin into the air to reveal his throat.

"What will it be, Koloth?!" Sulu said loud and clear.

Koloth, ignoring his combat-stance and lowering his bat'leth, growled as he watched his now unarmed opponent.

Sulu never took his eyes from Koloths gaze. "Well?!" Sulu demanded.

"You would have me kill an unarmed man?" Koloth eventually said. "Commit murder?"

"The choice is yours" Sulu replied, ever keeping his throat bared.

One of the klingons witnessing the event could not hold his peace. "This bastard dog is dishonoring the challenge! Honor demands that he is killed!"

But Koloth replied with a growl that silenced his fellow klingons. "There is no honor or glory in killing an unarmed enemy, unable to defend himself!"

As the klingons argued the matter between them, the Starfleet officers could only watch as few of them were fluent enough in the klingon language to understand what was being said or argued.

Turning to look upon Sulu, Koloth thought out loud in his own language for all klingons to hear. "There he stands, the great Hikaru of Akira. He defies me… By dishonoring the duel, he mocks me. Yet, killing him now, how would history remember me? How will the tale be retold of the death of Hikaru, son of Akira? Struck down to his death, unarmed and defiant of Koloths blade. Hikaru will be remembered for defying me, and I will be remembered for murdering him." A growl bubbled in Koloths throat as he gathered his thoughts, and then he spoke in English, directly at Sulu. "The day is yours, Hikaru, son of Akira. You stand victorious. I release your crew and return to you, your ship."

Sulu, along with his entire crew, let out of heavy sigh of relief. Many of the Starfleet officers embraced, some even clapped their hands, and before long, many began to cheer, pumping their fists in the air and jumping around out of joy and excitement of simply surviving.

The elderly klingon, furious, walked over to Koloth and snarled in his face. "Honor demands satisfaction! This is an outrage!"

Koloth freed his dagger and rammed it into the old klingons neck, violently ripping open the elders throat with a powerful display of brute strength. As the aging klingon fell to the floor, drowning in his own blood, Koloth pushed his way through the other klingons and left the storage-area; the other klingons following him in his footsteps. Before the doors shut behind the klingon warriors, Koloth turned around and addressed the Starfleet captain.

"Until next time, Hikaru of Akira. I look forward to facing you in battle, once again."

As Koloth and the klingons left, allowing the door to slide shut, Eckenwald and Shrav rushed over to their captain, barely believing what had just taken place right in front of them.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" Eckenwald said as he grabbed Sulu by the shoulder. "I can't believe you just pulled that off! That was the most insane thing I have ever seen! Ever!"

"That was a proper gamble, captain" Shrav said, shaking his head with a smile.

"It was my last option" Sulu admitted. "Going on, Koloth would have killed me. But being a man of honor, I hoped he would be unable to kill an unarmed opponent in a fair fight."

Eckenwald grinned and shook his head. "Using klingon honor against a klingon to get out of a fight alive? Sulu… If that's not beating the Kobayashi Maru test, I don't know what is."

Sulu took a quick look around at his crew. "Let's get the saucer-section functional and restore what power we can. We need to contact Starfleet right away."

Shrav offered his captain a salute, along with a big, wide smile. "Yes, sir!"

 **XXX XXX**

"Cardassian freighter has disengaged warp-drive."

"Take us out of warp!" Kor ordered and his ship returned to normal space.

Having overshot their target by several light-minutes, both the Klothos and the HaH'vat circled around and aligned themselves for an intercept-course.

"One ship is hovering next to the Grelkat" a klingon officer informed the others. "A ferengi cruiser."

"The ferengi are involved after all" Kor growled.

"Curious" Tuvok said. "I find it hard to believe it is by mere chance a ferengi salvage-barge just happens to be in an uninhabited system where the Tal Shiar decided to take refuge. That ferengi vessel is here for a reason, a reason designed by the romulans we are after. Most likely a decoy to make us focus our efforts and sensors on that ship, instead of our surroundings."

"Not to worry, vulcan" Kor said and pushed a couple of buttons. Before long, Kang appeared on the main viewer. "Kang!" Kor growled. "That ferengi ship, it is a romulan decoy. The honor is yours to remove it from our scanners."

"Follow me in" Kang said. "We see no romulan, or human, bio-signatures on either the cardassian ship or the ferengi vessel."

"They have already beamed off" Dax concluded as he heard of Kangs sensors-readings.

Tuvok nodded. "Without a doubt, they are already safely onboard a cloaked romulan cruiser."

"We will find them" Kor smiled with confidence. "Kang" he then said and turned to the main viewer, "Reroute power to your forward shields as you go after the ferengi. I will follow you, cloaked, and ready to attack."

"Smile of the Bat'leth?" Kang said with a growl as he thought upon the tactic suggested by Kor. "Very well, it is agreed."

Kor burst out laughing before he cut transmission, but not before offering a final word to his fellow noble lord. " _Qapla'_!" Kor then left his captains chair and walked over to the pilots seat at the fore of the bridge, almost pushing the pilot from his station before settling down behind the controls himself. "Initiate cloak!" he commanded.

As Kors first officer engaged the ships cloaking-field, Kor steered the Bird-of-Prey to take up position a couple of light-seconds directly behind and below the much larger IKs HaH'vat.

"Disruptors fully charged" the Weapons Master informed Kor. "Torpedo ready to fire."

"Good" Kor chuckled and grinned so that his fangs were clearly visible. "Now, the hunt is truly on."

Tuvok quirked an eyebrow as he studied the warlord steering the warship. "It is a highly illogical practice to have a ships commander not only taking the helm, but also being in control of the ships weapons. It leaves him unable to focus on incoming reports from his fellow officers and severely reduces his ability to base his decisions on facts provided by his officers and the ships sensors."

"Nonsense!" Kor said with laughter. "Now I am in complete control! No orders are needed, I simply steer my ship and shoot my enemies! This, my vulcan friend, is what true command is all about."

Dax walked on over to Tuvok as the vulcan was about to lecture the klingon warlord.

"Trust me, ensign" Curzon said, placing a hand on Tuvoks shoulder, "as far as klingons go, Kor is one of the more sensible ones."

Tuvok eyed the trill, then Kor, then the trill once more. "Your expert opinion on this matter is noted, ambassador."

Kor adjusted a couple of dials and levers around him at the pilots station, as ever smiling wide in anticipation of the fight to come.


	17. Chapter 17

D'jalel, followed by her trusted lieutenant, Toldol, entered the bridge of a warship crewed by officers of the Imperial Navy of the Romulan Star Empire. Several screens displayed the ferengi vessel as it hovered next to the cardassian freighter, as well as the klingon battlecruiser, IKS HaH'vat.

"Commander" a male romulan said, wearing the uniform and insignias of admiral. "Two klingon warships have entered the system. A K'tinga-class cruiser, and a Bird-of-Prey class of destroyer. The Bird-of-Prey has cloaked."

"Heading?" D'jalel asked.

"For the ferengi" the admiral said. "The klingon cruiser has charged weapons and redirected power to their forward shields, leaving their aft vulnerable. No doubt, they are trying to lure us to attack, allowing the Bird-of-Prey to open fire on us as we decloak."

"You will comply with their wishes, admiral."

The admirals expression clearly indicated his reluctance, but also his disdain. "Commander, you may be a valued member of the Tal Shiar, but this is a vessel of the Imperial Navy. And I am in command. The ferengi have done their part and drawn attention to themselves, and we will continue as planned and distance ourselves from these klingons, under cloak and without revealing our position."

"I do not argue your tactical expertise, admiral" D'jalel assured her superior officer. "However, that Bird-of-Prey carries a weapon that we must secure. With it, the empire will be unstoppable."

"A weapon?" the admiral said, not entirely convinced. "What sort of weapon?"

"A weapon more powerful than the Genesis-device. More powerful than a trilithium-warhead, admiral" D'jalel explained, and it was clear that the admiral was more than just hesitant at the explanation. "The prisoner I brought with me, the young lieutenant of Starfleet Intelligence, is the source of this information. The Bird-of-Prey, the IKS Klothos, carries a torpedo that has been modified using knowledge provided by Spock Prime. I suspect you have heard of him, admiral."

"Do not insult me, commander" the admiral frowned, his facial tattoos twisting with the frown. "I am well aware of who Spock Prime was and where he came from."

D'jalel nodded. "Then you know he possessed a great deal of information that could alter history. That could change the balance of power forever. Well, admiral, the balance of power has shifted."

The admiral realized the magnitude of what the Tal Shiar agent was telling him, and it showed on his face.

D'jalel knew she had the admirals attention. "Fifty-five years from now, four romulan warships will engage a Federation starship in orbit of Narendra 3, a klingon colony. During this engagement, a phenomenon will occur that seemed to phase the Federation ship in and out of our space-time continuum. Somehow, Spock Prime came into the possession of the romulan files that documented the battle, and came to the conclusion that the mysterious anomaly was a rift in space and time. A rift made possible as a romulan and a Starfleet torpedo collided head on, the resulting release of energy tearing at the very fabric of the universe."

The admiral caught on quickly enough. "Another incident of time-travel?"

"Yes, admiral" D'jalel said, quite satisfied. "But unlike the great disaster that sent the Narada back in time, this has the possibility of being a controlled event. The Starfleet officer in our custody believes the klingon torpedo can be used to recreate that exact same rift in space and time. And the reason is simple… The modifications on that torpedo were provided by Sybok, Spock Primes brother."

The admiral gave it some thought as he took it all in. Then, he turned to D'jalel once more. "What do you have in mind?"

 **XXX XXX**

Mogh, First among Warriors onboard the IKS HaH'vat, stood next to the pilot of the klingon warship, studying the controls and displays at the pilots disposal as the klingon steering the powerful battlecruiser took pursuit of the ferengi vessel.

"The ferengi are moving away, increasing velocity" Mogh reported and turned to face his lord and captain. "They have raised shields and are charging phasers."

Kang of House Ansara sat in his captains chair, looking grim and fierce as he stroked his bearded chin. "Launch a torpedo at the cardassian freighter. Then fire at will at the ferengi and prepare boarding parties."

Mogh hit his chest with his fist as a salute. "At once, my lord" he said and then turned to the pilot and issued the command to fire.

It was with a satisfied growl that the pilot acknowledged the order and fired a torpedo as instructed. As the ferengi ship moved away from the abandoned cardassian freighter, the klingon torpedo slammed into its unshielded hull and literally split the cardassian ship in two as the sudden release of energy cracked the freighter wide open.

"Minor damage to the ferengi shields" Mogh reported. "We will be in range for disruptors in thirty seconds. The ferengi have begun evasive maneuvers."

"But they have not powered up their warp-drive" Kang concluded. They are drawing us away, but from what?" The warlord then pressed several keys on the computer attached to his armrest. "They are drawing us away from the sun. The gravimetric output of the star is enough to hide the warp-signature of a ship leaving the system."

Mogh nodded in agreement as he himself came to the same conclusion, standing by the station manned by the ships chief science officer, the Main Advisor. "The romulans are without a doubt already heading for the far side of the sun. Shall we instruct the Klothos to intercept the miserable cowards?"

"No" Kang growled. "We will go after them. Ignore the ferengi and set a course for the sun. It will force the romulans to react."

"As you wish, my lord."

 **XXX XXX**

"Kang has found something" Kor said as he adjusted heading to maintain his position behind the IKS HaH'vat.

Tuvok, sitting by one of the stations on the klingon bridge, agreed. "The HaH'vat has plotted a course taking it into orbit at a distance of one light-minute of the star. Abandoning the pursuit of the ferengi suggests that Kang has found a more worthy target."

"So what's so interesting about that sun?" Dax wondered.

"I suspect" Tuvok said, "that it could be hiding something from our sensors on its far side."

"No matter" Kor said with a typical klingon growl. "Kang will find them, and when he does, they will be destroyed."

Dax worriedly turned to Kor. "I hope you have not forgotten about Emelie."

"The romulans will not willingly hand her over, Curzon" Kor said, adjusting his position behind the HaH'vat. "Once the shooting starts, the romulans will either flee like cowards, or die like the dogs they are. In either case, Emelie will be lost."

"I thought we came here to rescue her?" Dax countered.

"And I thought you would never lie to me!" Kor snarled. "You lied to me, so that I would convince Kang to follow your wishes… Such treachery is not easily forgotten, Curzon of Dax."

"Would you rather see the romulans victorious?" Dax inquired. "Or was that treachery necessary to not only secure honor, but also our friendship. Do you think I would have forgiven you, Kor of Rynar, had you let Emelie, daughter of Kirk, die?"

Kor turned the pilots seat around, letting go of the controls momentarily. "I suppose not" the klingon noble then said as he eyed the trill on his bridge. "But the situation remains the same. There is no way to free Emelie from the romulans."

Tuvok turned his chair to face Kor and Dax. "There is a possibility" he said which, not surprisingly, had everyone focused on his suggestion. "Should the romulans be forced to engage us, they will have to drop their cloak in order to raise shields and fire their weapons. While doing so, they will be unshielded for two to three seconds. If we are prepared, we could exploit this to beam a boarding-party directly onboard the romulan vessel."

Kor chuckled at the vulcans plan. "Bold! But two or three seconds is not enough to get enough warriors onboard to challenge the romulans on their own ship."

"We need not challenge them" Tuvok said. "Only free lieutenant Marcus-Kirk from captivity."

"Sounds like our best bet" Dax said and turned to Kor. "A small boarding-party, hit and run. A daring rescue, Kor; one worthy of a song, don't you agree?"

A smile slowly grew on Kors lips, a smile that soon was accompanied by a chuckle, a chuckle that grew into a roaring laugh. "I like it!"

 **XXX XXX**

The romulan tactical-officer conveyed the readings provided by her station on the romulan vessels bridge. "IKS HaH'vat directly ahead, their aft shields are still deactivated. Disruptors manually aimed at target and ready to fire. Torpedo-bays loaded, ready to lock on."

"And the IKS Klothos is without a doubt waiting a few light-seconds behind us" the admiral said and turned to D'jalel. "The moment we decloak, so will they, and we will be unshielded as they begin their attack."

"A necessity I fear" D'jalel replied as she watched the HaH'vat displayed on the large main screen at the fore of the bridge. "It is the only way we can force them to decloak on our terms. As they decloak, their shields will be down; which will give us time to beam onboard the Klothos and secure the torpedo."

"If you succeed with this, commander, you will be remembered as a hero of the empire."

"As will we both, admiral."

The admiral simply nodded and then turned to his crew. "Prime the isolytic-burst warheads… Prepare to fire."

 **XXX XXX**

The saucer-section of the USS Excelsior slowly moved into orbit over Korvat Four, a myriad of rescue-vessels and tow-barges coming to its aid. Shuttles were already transporting the wounded to the surface to receive medical attention.

Hikaru Sulu stood next to Nathalie Gars where she lay on a stretcher, her eyes closed. Sulu sighed as medical personnel pulled a blanket up over her torso and head, covering her entire body beneath the cloth. As the lifeless body of commander Gars was moved away, Eckenwald walked up to his captain.

"She was a remarkable woman."

Sulu nodded and then rubbed his face to try and rid himself of some of the strain and exhaustion. It had little effect. "That she was" he then said as he took a look around. "They all were remarkable men and women" he added. "How many… How many did…"

"How many survived?" Eckenwald said and sighed. "Eighty-nine crewmembers will survive this mission, captain. The others are either already dead, or will die within the next few hours. Only eighty-nine of our crew will make it out of this alive, captain." Eckenwald turned to look at the dead that were being transported away on stretchers. "Klingons" he then said and slowly shook his head, "how could there ever be peace with them?"

"Perhaps…" Sulu stopped to breathe before finishing the sentence. "Perhaps Curzon will find a way."

At that moment, Shrav supported a badly limping chief of security Atl over towards Sulu and Eckenwald. Sulu was slightly taken off guard as Atl had bloody bandages covering his left eye, but it was only momentarily.

"Captain" Atl said, his voice strained and hoarse, "we have established a link with Starfleet." Atl then handed over a small palm-sized datapad. "The officers that have earned a special commendation, as you requested, sir."

"Thank you, lieutenant commander" Sulu said as he received the datapad.

"We gave them hell, didn't we, sir?" Atl then asked his captain.

Sulu simply let out a sigh. "No, mister Atl… They gave us hell. They gave us every piece of it."

And with that, Sulu left his fellow officers as he headed to contact Starfleet. Behind him, Eckenwald, Shrav and Atl stood disheartened and fatigued, exhausted by the clash with the klingons.

 **XXX XXX**

Sulu sat himself down by the desk in his personal quarters and activated the computer that his engineers had managed to salvage and get operational. Within a few minutes, he had established a link beyond the system.

"Hikaru, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, Nyota" Sulu told his old friend, her image unstable and flickering. "The ship and the crew, however…"

He paused and found himself unable to finish the sentence.

"I'm onboard the USS Excalibur" major U'hura said. "We are heading for you at maximum warp, but we are still thirty-six hours away. The USS Farragut has been ordered to leave Bajor to come to your aid as well. Captain Aster is only some hours away from Korvat as we speak."

"We are fine. But Emelie has been abducted by romulans."

"Romulans?!"

"Two klingon ships are in pursuit" Sulu explained. "The Farragut should be able to spot them with long-range sensors. Have the Farragut join the klingons as soon as possible, before the romulans manage to escape."

"But why is Emelie kidnapped by romulans? What has happened?"

"Damn it, instruct the Farragut to aid the klingons!"

"Alright, Hikaru!" Nyota U'hura quickly tapped keys on a console out of view. "There, the order has been sent to the Farragut. But I still need to know what the hell is going on, captain. I need a debriefing."

Sulu let out a sigh. "It all began when the Excelsior received a transmission from the IKS Gr'oth."


	18. Chapter 18

Mogh stood next to the HaH'vats Main Advisor as the screens lit up bright red.

"Vessel decloaking! Sector six! Range, two light-seconds!"

Kang snarled. "Fire!"

The Weapons Master growled as he punched the controls that handled the battlecruisers rear-facing disruptors.

 **XXX XXX**

The romulan T'derox-class Warbird opened fire with disruptors against the unshielded aft of the IKS HaH'vat and received incoming fire from the klingon warship. At the same time, the IKS Klothos appeared out of nowhere as it dropped its own cloaking field.

 **XXX XXX**

The Klothos pilot roared as he fired his guns at the unshielded romulan ship. The Klothos executive officer, First among Warriors, sat in the captains chair and pointed at the enemy vessel depicted on the main viewer.

"Mind your aim, pilot!" the klingon XO snarled.

Tuvok, manning a station with access to the ships sensors, adjusted the setting of a couple of levers and dials. "Target area has lost power, boarding party away."

The First among Warriors clenched his fist. "Pilot, fire at will, full spread!"

 **XXX XXX**

The Warbird veered off from its attack to avoid the incoming fire from the Klothos, but not before launching a subspace-warhead. The powerful torpedo locked on to the HaH'vat and ruptured subspace itself as it was pulled by the space-time fluctuations created by the HaH'vats warp-core.

On the bridge, a romulan commander addressed the admiral. "Cloak reengaged, sir. The Klothos is cloaking as we speak. The HaH'vat has increased to full impulse, but the warhead has a successful lock on the warp-core. They will not escape. Sections fifteen through eighteen on deck twelve, eleven and ten have lost power as a result of enemy fire, but repair-teams are already deployed and power will be restored within the hour."

"Excellent" the admiral smirked, hands folded over his back as he studied the various screens available on the bridge. "And the assault-team?"

"Successfully transported onboard the Klothos, as far as we know, sir."

The admiral slowly nodded. "Very good."

 **XXX XXX**

"A subspace-warhead, my lord" Mogh informed Kang as both stood and watched the data provided by the station manned by the Main Advisor. "Our warp-core is attracting it like a magnet."

The Main Advisor pointed at a display that showed energy-readings. "The more power we use, the faster it will be drawn towards us. Go to warp and it will hit us within seconds. Do nothing and it will destroy us in a few minutes."

Kang growled, not liking the situation one bit. "We will slingshot around the sun at maximum velocity" he then said. "Deploy a warp-capable shuttle and rupture its warp-core. The increase in power will attract the warhead, and the gravimetric proportions of the sun will cut it off from us."

Mogh nodded and then sighed. "If this fails, there will no time to counter the warhead a second time."

"Then we are in luck that today is a good day to die" was Kangs simple response.

 **XXX XXX**

Power was down and the corridors were dark, only the odd blue emergency-light was lit here and there. Dax, armed with a klingon disruptor-pistol, took a peek around a corner; all was quiet.

"Looks like your vulcan was right" Kor said, standing behind the trill along with twelve klingon warriors. "Their internal sensors were disabled as they lost power."

"It wont stay that way for long" Dax pointed out. "They will restore power eventually."

"Let's move then" Kor said and slapped Dax over the shoulder with a grin. "I've boarded three of these vessels before. I know how to reach the detention-area. Let us go."

Kor took point and guided the other klingons, and Dax, through the corridors of the romulan Warbird.

 **XXX XXX**

Tuvok turned a dial at his station on the bridge of the Klothos. "The HaH'vat is heading on a trajectory that will take in a tight turn around the star" he said. "It would be my calculated guess that Kang will try and use the suns gravity to swallow the subspace-warhead."

"Kang is clever" the First among Warriors nodded. "It would not surprise me is he succeeds."

The Main Advisor turned in his chair. "I have strange readings, three decks below" he said. "An anomaly I can not explain."

The executive officer quirked an eyebrow. "What sort of anomaly?"

Tuvok quickly rearranged his station so he could interact with the Klothos internal sensors. "A dampening field" he quickly realized. "Designed to blur out bio-signatures and conceal them from sensor-readings."

The executive officer left the captains chair and walked over to Tuvok. "Scan for unexplained energy-readings. Weapon-grade signatures in the area of the anomaly."

"At once" Tuvok said and did as the klingon asked. "Sixteen energy-readings that could possibly be phasers or disruptors and one energy-signature that most likely is the power-source for the dampening-field. It would seem as if the romulans managed to board us just as we boarded them; using the release of energy provided by the disruptor-blasts to hide our transporter-beams."

The executive officer freed his pistol with one hand, and his d'k tagh with the other. "Intruder alert!" he growled. "All hands, engage and destroy the enemy on deck seven, section four!"

Tuvok watched as every klingon on the bridge, apart from the pilot, grabbed their weapons and hurried to locate the intruders. Tuvok noticed the pilot looking at him with a fierce smile.

"The romulans will soon regret coming aboard" the klingon chuckled.

 **XXX XXX**

D'jalel and her fellow agents of the Tal'Shiar stood next to Toldol as he was searching the computer systems of the IKS Klothos. The corridor they stood in was secured by a squad of ten reman storm-troopers; remans being the elite soldiers of the Romulan Star Empire.

"Nothing" Toldol said, operating the handheld datapad he had hooked up to the klingon system via a cable. "They only carry standard klingon torpedoes. Nothing out of the ordinary at all."

"Impossible!" D'jalel leaned in to read the data herself. "Kirks daughter was convinced that this ship would bring Syboks torpedo. Their plan depended on it."

"Looks like the klingons weren't as forthcoming as Kirks daughter might have thought" Toldol said somewhat annoyed. "And now we are trapped on a klingon ship. They will find us sooner or later."

"Massive movement" one of the Tal Shiar agents then said, as if on cue, studying a scanning device. "Twenty-three klingons are closing in on our position."

"We must find that torpedo" D'jalel hissed.

Toldol unplugged from the klingon computer. "It is not on this ship!"

"It must be!" D'jalel snarled and turned to the remans. "Prepare defenses! Do not engage the klingons in hand to hand combat, but stand your ground and keep them at bay at all cost."

"Commander" Toldol said and was clearly not comfortable about the situation as the reman storm-troopers readied themselves for battle. "There is nothing that suggests that the klingons have the torpedo. There is no point in staying on this ship any further."

"It is here, sub-commander" D'jalel insisted. "And we will find it."

Then, a klingon battle-cry sounded, and disruptor-fire filled the corridor.

 **XXX XXX**

Dax followed Kor and the klingons through the corridors of the Warbird, pistols held at the ready. Then suddenly, as they came around a corner, they found themselves face to face with a repair-crew; the romulans were quite surprised and astonished as they realized that the enemy had managed to come onboard. It did not take long before Kor and the klingons opened fire, gunning down the romulans in a hail of disruptor-bolts.

"Someone will have heard that" Dax pointed out as he looked around as if expecting romulan troops to emerge out of the walls and bulkheads.

"Aye, Curzon, that much is certain" Kor snarled. "Haste is our ally now" he then said and pointed down the corridor. "There, fourth doorway and ten paces and we will be right on top of the detention-area. We must hurry!"

And with that, Kor and the klingons rushed to get into position further down the corridor.

 **XXX XXX**

A hatch was pulled open overhead of the romulan position onboard the Klothos and a klingon jumped down and instantly grabbed hold of Toldol and engaged him in a wrestling match. The second klingon to jump down was the executive officer, First among Warriors, who slashed a remans throat with the blade attached to his pistol as soon as he landed and followed the move up by stabbing the same blade into the gut of a romulan and then discharging the disruptor-pistol point blank as it was pressed against the Tal Shiar agents torso.

D'jalel moved in quickly and kicked the pistol out of the grip of the executive officer, the experienced klingon replied in turn by delivering a headbutt and then throwing D'jalel to the ground down the corridor. As D'jalel came to her feet after an expert roll over her shoulder, she pulled out a serrated dagger and prepared herself for combat. The klingon first officer snarled like a beast as he freed his d'k tagh and then engaged D'jalel in deadly melee; they came at each other without mercy, using their blades with lethal precision and only through training and experience did they manage to parry and evade the various attacks.

 **XXX XXX**

The ceiling in the detention-area fell in as an explosion ruptured the integrity of the structure. The romulan security-officers found in the detention-area threw themselves to the floor or into cover as smoke and debris crashed down. Before they had a chance to come to their senses, klingons came down through the hole left by the blast and instantly spread out and attacked the romulans with their edged weapons. As the klingons secured every entrance, once the romulans present had been disposed of, Kor and Dax ran up to the cell that held Emelie; behind the energy-barrier that contained her, she was secured to an interrogation-chair of an especially nasty design.

Kor blasted the controls to the cell and the energy-barrier collapsed, allowing Dax to rush in and make sure that Emelie, beaten and bruised, was alive and wake. Emelie was astonished to say the least as she realized what was actually going on; Curzon Dax was attempting to free her from a romulan warship, together with Kor and several klingon warriors.

"Curzon?" Emelie said as the trill began to unlock her restraints. "What are you doing here?"

"What's it look like?" Dax said with a smile as he freed Emelie of her final bonds. "We're getting you the hell out of here."

"And we have not much time" Kor cut in. "We must move, now, before we are overwhelmed."

"Come on" Curzon said and helped Emelie on her feet, and letting her lean on his shoulder as they headed to leave the detention-area.

 **XXX XXX**

"Admiral! Sensors have detected several klingons in the detention-area!"

The admiral of the Warbird turned in disbelief to face the commander. "What?!"

The commander turned to get updated by the sensor-logs. "They are currently moving down yellow corridor, section nine on deck six, heading aft. We also detect one trill and one human moving with them."

"A human?" The admiral realized instantly who that human was. "Alert all troops! Intercept those klingons and kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

"At once, admiral!"

 **XXX XXX**

"Pilot" Tuvok said, monitoring the internal-sensors of the Klothos.

"What is it, vulcan?"

"I believe I have troubling news. I am only able to detect seven klingon life-signs onboard the ship, including yours. At the same time, I detect three reman bio-signatures and four romulan."

The news had the pilot growl with hatred. Almost instantly did the pilot get out of his seat, arm himself with a pistol and a mek'leth and hurried to leave the bridge to join the battle.

On his own, Tuvok began to work the klingon systems and then bent down, opened a hatch to the innards of the station and rearranged a couple of the data-cards.


	19. Chapter 19

Kor and his klingons gunned down any romulan that came into view, cutting them down with their melee weapons if they came within reach as they came around a corner or stepped through a doorway. Dax was supporting Emelie as they went, discharging his weapon every now and then if he got an opportunity to take a shot at a romulan.

"This way!" Kor waved them on as he hurried down a corridor, stepping over three dead romulan engineers. "The shuttle-bay is not far!"

"Shuttle-bay?" Emelie wondered. "We can't fly through their shields with a shuttle."

"Don't worry" Dax tried to reassure the young lieutenant of Starfleet Intelligence, "a vulcan came up with the plan, and it wasn't Sybok, which means this will probably actually work."

"How comforting."

Around them, the klingons engaged more and more romulans, and incoming disruptor-fire was becoming more frequent the further they went as more enemy troops closed in on their position. Already, four of the klingon warriors had been killed in the fighting. They pressed on, fighting their way through the corridors of the romulan warship, killing reman shocktroops in hand to hand combat and taking cover from romulan soldiers firing disruptors at them at range. In the end, they finally reached their objective; the shuttle-bays.

"Go!" one of the three remaining klingon warriors told his lord. "We will hold them! For House Rynar!"

Kor grabbed his subordinate by the shoulder and nodded, all the while as enemy fire struck the walls around them. "Glory to you and your house, my friend."

With a mad howl, the klingon warriors rushed the enemy, guns blazing, and threw themselves into melee with mek'leths and bat'leths.

"Come!" Kor told Dax and Emelie. "Their glorious sacrifice must not be in vain!"

They hurried towards the closest of the shuttles and climbed onboard and strapped in, Emelie and Kor seated in the cockpit and Dax behind them in a passengers chair.

"You do know how to fly one of these things, right. Emelie?" Dax inquired somewhat worried. "The entire plan sort of depends on it."

Emelie was already operating the controls and getting the shuttle ready to take off. "Relax" she said, "I'm more worried about the disruptors on this Warbird."

Kor grinned, displaying his fangs for all to see. "Let us hope that Sto'Vo'Kor awaits!"

The klingon warlord slammed the controls and the shuttle they were in blasted the closed hangar-bay doors with several volleys of disruptor-fire until there was nothing to bar their escape. As the shuttle-bay violently lost atmospheric pressure, Emelie increased velocity and they left the innards of the romulan Warbird.

"Alright" Emelie said. "Now what?"

"There" Kor pointed beyond the viewport of the cockpit. "The ventral emitter-array, it controls both their shields and their cloak. Take us in and I will destroy it!"

Dax leaned forward. "When the cloak collapses, we will be able to escape."

"Not bad" Emelie said with a cocky smile and took the shuttle in for an attack-run.

The shuttle flew in towards the intended target and Kor made sure that the disruptors did as intended and disabled the emitter-array with a devastating barrage. Emelie pulled on the controls and made a sharp U-like maneuver as she forced the shuttle to reach full throttle, flying up between the two warp-nacelles and left the Warbird behind; a Warbird with is ventral cloak not functioning, leaving much of it in plain sight for sensors.

 **XXX XXX**

On the bridge of the Warbird, the warships sensors and computers told everyone what had just taken place.

"Drop cloak and raise shields" the admiral ordered. "Bring us about and prepare a tractor-beam. I want them back onboard now."

"Yes, sir!" the commander replied and went to work.

"Admiral!" a sub-commander called out from across the bridge. "The HaH'vat has decloaked in sector three-one! Range, one light-second!"

The admiral realized what was about to happen. "Helm! Spin us around! Face the enemy with our port shields, now!"

 **XXX XXX**

The IKS HaH'vat, having emerged out of cloak after successfully thrown the subspace-warhead of target, dove down upon the fully visible Warbird as it was still charging up its shields. The klingon battleship unleashed a full volley of disruptors, pulse-cannons and heavy cannons, not to mention torpedoes. The Warbirds hull was slammed by incoming fire, one warp-nacelle was blown apart and several sections of the main hull was blasted wide open before the ships shields started having effect.

 **XXX XXX**

As the HaH'vat chased after the fleeing Warbird, guns firing, Emelie and Kor and Dax let out a sigh of relief as they watched the two large warship move away in the distance.

"Kahless bless you and your children, Kang" Kor said and thumped his chest with his fist as a sign of honoring his fellow lord. "Behold, my friends, the destruction of the cowardly romulans" he then said and pointed at the battle taking place.

Dax could not help but smile wide and grabbed Emelie by the shoulder and squeezed. "Told you this would most likely work out."

Emelie smiled in turn and nodded at the trill.

"Ah!" Kor now grinned with pride. "The Klothos" he said, almost with reverence.

Only a few hundred yards away from them, the IKS Klothos, a Bird-of-Prey, decloaked and emerged out of hiding. Within a second, Emelie and Dax dissolved into orange sparks of energy as a klingon transporter dematerialized them. Kor, however, was left untouched and he could only watch as the trill and the human vanished before his very eyes. Baffled, Kor felt his surprise transform into rage and bloodlust as the IKS Klothos, his own ship, cloaked once more and disappeared from all sensors. Kor, son of Rynar, roared out of frustration and punched a console with his fist, utterly shattering it and rendering it useless.

 **XXX XXX**

As Emelie and Dax found themselves back in reality, rearranged by the transporter, they smiled and sighed with relief to be onboard the klingon vessel. A relief and smile that would only last a brief second as they both were violently thrown to the floor, before being picked up, held in the strong grip of two romulans. And in front of them stood D'jalel, bruised and with cuts here and there, showing signs of recent battle.

"Hello Emelie" D'jalel said with an arrogant frown. "Welcome onboard the Klothos, as commandeered by the Romulan Star Empire."

Dax and Emelie were both secured with shackles in the klingon vessels holding-cells, the two hanging from chains in the ceiling. Once secured in place, Toldol left to head for the bridge, leaving D'jalel and Vera left with the prisoners. D'jalel, commander of the Tal Shiar, studied her two captives for what seemed like an eternity.

"Where is the torpedo?" D'jalel eventually asked.

"If Kor didn't bring it" Emelie said, "I don't know. This is not a big ship, if it's not here, it is not here."

"You lie!" D'jalel spat. "That torpedo was crucial for Syboks plan! It was cruicial for your plan! It must be here! Where is it?!"

Dax let out a shout to gain D'jalels attention. "Hey! Tribal-face!" It had the intended effect as D'jalel turned to eye the trill instead. "Has it ever occurred to your pointy-eared head that the torpedo was not crucial for Kors plan?! If you can't find that damned torpedo, Kor obviously didn't bring it!"

"Curzon Dax" D'jalel said without hesitation. "The ninth trill to carry the Dax symbiont. Previous hosts were Lela, Enjana, Penzak, Tobin, Emony, Audrid, Torias and Joran. Your fame for striking a truce with House Ryna of the klingon empire is not unknown on Romulus. Nor is your friendship with Kor of House Ryna ever since that successful negotiation. We both can be considered experts on klingon behavior, ambassador, and for a klingon to go against his own word is practically unheard of. So if Kor assured you he would bring Syboks weapon, why would he break that promise? Chances are he didn't and the weapon, the torpedo, is here."

"Unless Kor figured out what it could do" Dax replied with a stern face.

D'jalel burst into laughter. "A klingon does not have the mental fortitude to understand something as complex as… Unless… Unless you told him." D'jalel closed in on the trill, holding her face a few meager inches from Curzons. "You warned him? You betrayed Sybok and Emelie? You tricked them into going through with this insane quest of theirs, only to secure your own fame and standing as you prevented a war between the Federation and the klingons." D'jalel grinned and took a couple of steps back, nodding as she did. "You let Emelie think she could save her father, only to further your own fame. You are a greedy one, aren't you, Curzon Dax. Impressive."

D'jalel left the chamber with holding-cells, leaving her comrade Vera to guard the prisoners with a disruptor-pistol.

D'jalel entered the bridge of the Klothos and found Toldol in the captains chair, overseeing the ships functions and operations.

"Report" D'jalel said and joined Toldol.

"Course set for Romulus" Toldol said. "Cloak is stable. Internal scans show no life-signs other than our own, and one trill and one human. We are in control of the ship."

"Good" D'jalel nodded. "And the Warbird?"

"Adrift" Toldol admitted. "By all accounts, the HaH'vat is boarding it as we speak."

D'jalel gave it little thought. "No matter. The prize is what we have onboard this ship. As long as we bring Emelie and Curzon back to the empire, we will be successful. A lieutenant of Starfleet Intelligence and the most renowned diplomat in the Federation is a grand prize indeed. And if Syboks torpedo is somewhere onboard, the Tal Shiar will find it."

 **XXX XXX**

Kang returned to the bridge of the IKS HaH'vat, covered in sot and green romulan blood from top to toe; it had been a fierce battle onboard the Warbird, a battle that had resulted in a glorious victory for House Ansara and the Empire.

"One-hundred and forty-nine prisoners of war, mylord" Mogh reported, showing signs of battle as well. "They are secured in our holds as we speak."

"They will serve us well in the mines of Rura Penthe" Kang growled as he sat down in the captains chair. "Take us away from the romulan ship and destroy what remains of it."

"Aye, my lord" Mogh said with a snarl and turned to carry out the orders.

"And what of your ship?" Kang then said, turning to face Kor who was joining him on the bridge.

"Stolen!" Kor spat. "And whoever stole it abducted my friend Curzon and the daughter of Kirk. We must find my ship and avenge this deception!"

"The Klothos is on none of our scanners" Mogh cut in. "If it is cloaked and travelling at warp, we will never find it."

"You are wrong, my friend" Kor countered the HaH'vats executive officer. "While battling a breen marauder some days ago, my ships tachyon-array was damaged. As a result, my ship is leaking tachyons at a regular interval, like drops of blood for a hound to follow. Kang, my old friend, honor demands that I either retake my vessel, or destroy it; will you aid me in this?"

Kang, a growl bubbling in his throat, eventually nodded at the request. "The honor of House Ryna is dear to House Ansara. I will assist you, Kor, son of Rynar. Mogh! Find the Klothos and intercept her."

"At once, my lord!" Mogh acknowledged the order by slamming his chest with his fist.

"I am in your debt, Kang" Kor told the blood-drenched warlord.

Kang, slowly wiping his beard from green blood, leaned into the leather of his captains-chair. "I release you of this debt. Honor is its own reward."

The IKS HaH'vat left the Warbird behind, launching a salvo of torpedoes before shooting off to warp-speed, leaving the romulan warship to be ripped apart by the spread of torpedoes as each warhead hit its mark in turn, one by one.

 **XXX XXX**

The strain on Emelies and Curzons arms were beginning to being felt in earnest, hanging as they were in chains from the ceiling. Both had trouble breathing as the raised arms put pressure on the lungs, making it increasingly difficult to fill the lungs with air. But their guard had no intention of helping them just yet. Emelie was not worried, even if it was uncomfortable; she knew she was too important to be killed, the Tal Shiar would never make such a mistake. Curzon, on the other hand, was starting to struggle with the earliest forms of panic; unable to breath properly and being a captive of the romulan empire was taking its toll on the bold trill.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a vulcan in Starfleet uniform appeared and engaged the romulan in hand to hand combat. The Tal Shiar agent, having been caught by complete surprise, was soon enough beaten bloody and had her neck snapped by the strong arms of the vulcan. Curzon could hardly believe his eyes as he realized it was actually Tuvok who had come to the rescue.

"Tuvok?" the trill said, quite astonished. "What the hell?"

"There is not time to waste, ambassador" Tuvok said as he freed Emelie and Curzon from their bonds. "As soon as we make our move, the romulans will know that you have been freed." Tuvok pulled out a satchel from a hiding-place and supplied Emelie and Dax with a klingon disruptor-pistol each. "As far as I can tell, there are only two Tal Shiar agents still alive onboard, most likely occupying the bridge. I will create a diversion to draw them out, at which point you will surprise them and shoot them."

"Hold on" Emelie cut in. "Wont they spot you with the ships sensors?"

"When I realized there was a chance that the romulans could take control of the ship, I disabled part of the ships sensors, effectively denying them the ability to detect any vulcan bio-signatures onboard. As far as the ship is concerned, I am not here."

"Good work, ensign" Emelie said and charged her weapon, the klingon pistols attached blade reflecting the few light-sources found in the chamber.

Dax simply sighed. "Here we go again."


	20. Chapter 20

Toldol was sitting in the pilots seat at the fore of the bridge, overseeing the Bird of Preys transit at warp speed. D'jalel, in the meantime, sat in the captains chair, located at the center of the bridge. Suddenly, a console at a station began to give off an alarm, together with a flashing red light. Toldol quickly hurried over to check what was wrong.

"What is going on?" D'jalel inquired.

"A fusion-relay has burst" Toldol said. "We're alright now, but given time, it will rupture and then we risk a major plasma-fire. One that could melt its way through the ship."

"Surely this barge has systems to counter such an event" D'jalel said, realizing the danger they where in.

"This is a klingon warship, commander" Toldol informed his superior officer. "It has thick armor and powerful guns, but not much else."

"Filthy barbarians" D'jalel sneered. "Get back there and repair that breach, now!"

"At once" Toldol said and left the bridge.

D'jalel cursed her luck of being stuck on a klingon vessel, but then went back to checking their surroundings with the ships sensors; so far there were no hostiles close by. At least that was something. She was surprised to hear the door to the bridge open so soon and turned around to ask Toldol what was wrong. D'jalel was quite surprised to find Emelie, Curzon and a vulcan stepping onto the bridge, armed with klingon disruptor-pistols.

"It is over, commander" Emelie said with a stern face. "This ends now."

Tuvok was next to gain D'jalels attention. "As acting chief science officer of the USS Excelsior, I am placing you under arrest on charges of conspiracy, espionage, sabotage, theft and murder. You are now to be considered a prisoner of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets."

Curzon couldn't hold back the smile. "Stings, doesn't it?"

D'jalel placed her hands behind her bald and tattooed head and stepped away from the captains chair. Emelie and Curzon kept their guns aimed at their captive, while Tuvok instantly moved on over to the pilots seat and sat down.

"Taking us out of warp, deactivating cloak" Tuvok said as he managed the controls that would make the ship behave accordingly.

"I'll inform Starfleet of our location" Curzon said and moved on over to the station in control of communications.

It was all that D'jalel needed. In an instant she had disarmed Emelie and struck her to the floor. Curzon threw himself to the side as D'jalel opened fire, the deadly bolt of plasma missing the trill with mere inches, obliterating the communications-console in the process. Tuvok was quick to draw his weapon and open fire, but D'jalel was just as quick to duck and get out of the way; in turn, her return fire forced the vulcan to seek cover by throwing himself flat on the floor. Emelie got back on her feet and hurried over to wrestle the gun out of D'jalels hands, but the Tal Shiar agent kicked the Starfleet Intelligence officer to the side with ease. Curzon took a poorly aimed shot and hit nothing but the bulkhead, himself forced to duck into cover behind a chair as D'jalel discharged her weapon twice his way, destroying the science-station as a consequence.

Tuvok moved in at speed, trying to stab the Romulan with the blade attached to his klingon pistol, but D'jalel, being an experienced agent of the Romulan Star Empire, easily deflected the strike, and instead cut the vulcan across the abdomen with her own pistol-attached blade. Emelie grabbed hold of D'jalel from behind with a neck-lock, but it did not prevent the Romulan from sending Tuvok flying with a powerful kick; the vulcan crashing into a chair and station. Curzon got back on his feet and watched as Emelie desperately tried to hold on to the Tal Shiar agent. Emelie was smashed up against the bulkhead, and D'jalel then violently pulled Emelie over her shoulder and flung her hard onto the floor. Curzon saw his chance and opened fire, sending three bolts at the Romulan.

The sparks that erupted as the bolts struck the wall of the bridge showered down over Emelie and D'jalel, the Romulan having ducked at the last moment. Emelie kicked D'jalel over the head, sending her onto her back, and then threw herself over D'jalels pistol and managed to wrestle it from her grip while the Tal Shiar agent was still groggy from the kick to the head. But D'jalel found herself quickly enough, and as Emelie pointed the weapon at her, D'jalel kicked it out of the Starfleet officers hand. Emelie, in turn, delivered a punch to D'jalels face. Soon enough, they were both tangled in a wrestling match, trying various grips and locks to gain the upper hand. But in the end, D'jalels superior strength would decide the outcome, as she twisted Emelies one arm behind her back and then gripped Emelies throat with her fingers, pressing as hard as she could to cut off her windpipe. It did not take long before Emelie was turning blue, unable to breathe, panic screaming in her desperate eyes.

"This is it, Emelie" D'jalel almost snarled. "This is when you die!"

D'jalel suddenly let go, surprise ablaze across her face. Emelie filled her lungs with air as she fell over, hands shielding her throat. Curzon pulled the klingon pistol free from D'jalels back, the blade attached to it covered in green blood. D'jalel turned and was confused, astonished that her career ended here and now. And then, she fell over. Emelie crawled on over the Romulan and searched for a pulse.

"Is she… Is she dead?" Curzon asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah" Emelie said. "Nice stab."

Curzon nodded. "Benefits of spending too much time with klingons."

"I can imagine" Emelie said and got back on her feet and moved on over to Tuvok and made sure he was still alive. "The vulcan will live" she said. "We'll need to patch him up, but he'll live."

"Thank the gods" Curzon said with a sigh and got back on his feet, pistol still in hand. "So it's over?"

Emelie looked up from Tuvok and glanced at the trill. "Yeah" she said. "It's over."

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon applied an autoinjector with antibiotics against Tuvoks neck, or the closest thing to antibiotics at least, having gone through what limited medical-supplies that could be found on a klingon vessel.

"You should be fine now" Curzon said, taking a step back from Tuvok where he sat in the executive officers chair on the bridge. "This dose is supposed to work on klingons. It will be double what you require."

"Thank you, ambassador" Tuvok said and then studied the bandages around his abdomen. "I must commend your medical skills, lieutenant Marcus-Kirk" he then said.

"Don't mention it" Emelie said, sitting in the captains chair and managing the computer attached to its armrest. "Will you live?" she then asked.

"Yes, I am confident I will, thank you, lieutenant."

"Good" Emelie said and pushed a button.

Curzon took a step back out of surprise as Tuvok suddenly dissolved into glowing sparks of energy.

Tuvok was equally surprised to find himself remateralizing inside of a klingon escape-pod.

Emelie hit another button.

Tuvok was thrown to the floor as the escape-pod was launched from the Bird of Prey. He quickly climbed back to his feet and found a view-port to look out through, watching the Klingon warship disappearing into the distance.

"This was unexpected" Tuvok simply concluded.

On the bridge of the Klothos, Emelie quickly repositioned herself to take control of the helm.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Curzon sharply demanded.

"I am engaging our cloak and setting a course for the Federation" Emelie explained, while doing exactly those things. "And now I am activating our warp-drive" she added and pulled a lever.

From his escape-pod, Tuvok could only watch as off in the distance, a ship broke the warp-barrier.

Curzon moved with determined strides over to Emelie. "What is this?! What are you doing?! What the hell are you up to?!"

Emelie left the helm once she was satisfied that they were heading in the right direction, and then moved on over to one of the stations still intact on the bridge, Curzon following closely behind.

"I'm talking to you, damn it!" the trill and hit the bulkhead to gain Emelies attention.

"I know you sent the schematics to Kor" Emelie replied as she started to search through the ships computer. "I was there, remember. Don't even deny it, Dax. I was there."

"So what?" Curzon said in turn. "I also told Kor what it could do and that he shouldn't put it together. And he didn't! Because it's too dangerous!"

Emelie was still searching through the computer-files. "But he still received that transmission" she said and punched a large key on the board, bringing up a file on the screen before them. "And here it is" she said. "The schematics for Syboks torpedo."

Curzon could hardly believe what he was seeing. But there was no denying it; there, on that screen, were the instructions on how to modify a modern klingon torpedo to be able to recreate an event that had not even taken place yet.

"Emelie" Dax said with a slow exhale. "What are you planning to do?"

"I will finish the mission" was her simple answer as her eyes were locked on the schematics.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Curzon backed off, placing his hand on the grip of the klingon pistol holstered by his thigh. "It is too dangerous! Sybok was a madman!"

Emelie slowly got out of the chair. "My father has been dead for four years, Dax. Four years! But do you know what? In the original timeline, he would still be alive… He wont die for another four years, Dax! He will live for four more years!"

Curzon could barely believe what he was hearing, slowly shaking his head. "Emelie… he is dead. You have to accept it. Your father is dead. This is not the way."

"It is the only way!" The words burst from Emelies mouth, a blast of emotion. "If your father was dying, but there was a cure that would grant him eight more years to live, wouldn't you give it to him? Wouldn't you do anything to keep him alive, if only for one more year?!"

"Kirk was not sick" Curzon countered, feeling his fingers slowly gripping the pistol. "Damn it Emelie, he was killed by a klingon. You are not talking about giving an old man some medicine, you are talking about altering the course of history to suit your own god damn needs! Emelie, please, listen to reason!"

Emelie glanced at the pistol by the trills thigh, and then looked Dax in the eyes. "Let go of the gun, Dax."

"I wont" Curzon replied, shaking his head slowly, gripping the weapon tighter still.

"It doesn't have to end like this."

"Correct me if I'm wrong" Curzon said, "but I think that is entirely up to you at this point."

Emelie smiled, looked down at her boots for a brief moment and then back up at Curzon, determination glowing in her eyes. "So be it."


	21. Chapter 21

Emelie rushed Curzon and the trill freed his pistol from the holster. But Emelie was quick and the pistol had a long barrel made even longer thanks to the attached blade; as Curzon pulled the weapon from the holster, Emelie grabbed the arm and twisted it around, up behind Curzons back, and then pushed the trill ambassador hard into the bulkhead. A kick to Curzons knee had him fall to the floor and then his head was smashed against some pipes. Curzons world turned dark and all sound faded into nothing.

Curzon woke up with a massive headache. Squinting, he tried to figure out where he was and what had happened. He was on the klingon bridge, that much was certain. A few moments later and he realized he was tied to a chair with chains and shackles. He could not move. How long he had sat there, he could not tell. He tried a couple of times to wriggle out of his restraints, but it was no use. Arms and feet were secured with no chance of escape. As Emelie entered the bridge, Curzon turned to look over his shoulder.

"Welcome back" Emelie said, her sleeves rolled up over her elbows and her arms and hands covered in sot and grease.

"What are you doing?" Curzon asked as Emelie sat down by the pilots controls.

"Checking our surroundings" Emelie said as she managed the controls and the dials and switches linked to them. "The USS Stargazer is heading for us at maximum warp" she then said, reading the Klothos long-range sensors. "I wonder if they are hunting us."

"I know someone who is hunting you" Curzon said. "Kor is coming for you, Emelie. You have dishonored him. He saved you from the romulans and you betrayed him. He will come for you and he will not rest until you are dead."

"Let him come" Emelie said, sounding as if not actually caring about the dire prospect of being chased by a very angry klingon. She turned a dial to focus the scanners. "He will be too late anyway."

Curzon knew the woman well enough to realize her calm demeanor meant she believed herself to be in control of the situation. "What are you going to do?"

Emelie turned to look over her shoulder back at Curzon. "When will you get it into your head that I am going through with the mission."

"You need Syboks torpedo to do that."

"I know" Emelie said and smiled. "I spent the last couple of hours building it."

Curzon turned pale and Emelie turned back to her controls.

"Taking us out of warp, deactivating cloak" she said. "The Stargazer will reach us in one hour."

"Kor will kill you first" Curzon argued.

Emelie, casually leaning comfortably into the pilots seat, turned around to face Curzon directly. "I never did understand your love for the klingons. They are animals. Savage beasts. They have nothing to offer this galaxy. Nothing! They all deserve to die."

"You're wrong" Curzon said through his teeth. "Those savage animals are more honorable and noble than you could ever hope to be. You are a disgrace to your fathers name. I'm glad he died so he did not have to live to see what his daughter would become."

"You wont agitate me so easily" Emelie chuckled. "I have already won. I wont let some simple diplomat twist my head with lies, not when I'm this close to succeeding with the mission."

"Resetting the timeline" Curzon said and shook his head with a sigh. "Stopping the romulans at Korvat, preventing the destruction of Praxis and the annihilation of Romulus, all to prevent the Narada from going back through time and create our reality. Giving your father eight more years to live… Satisfying your ego, altering space and time to create your own version of heaven, disrupting the space-time-continuum to deal with your daddy-issues. Do you even realize how selfish it is to change history, not just your own, but the history of the entire universe simply to satisfy your own god damn needs?! Do you even hear how crazy that sounds?!"

"My needs?!" Emelie got out of the chair and took a few quick steps towards Curzon, pressing her finger into her own chest. "My needs?! I will save three planets from being destroyed! My needs?! I will prevent genocide, I will save Vulcan, Kronos and Romulus from being attacked and devastated! My needs?!" She shook her head, breathing heavily as she took a step away from the chained trill. "Yes, my father will have eight more years to live if I succeed. And yes, that is my main priority. But make no mistake about it, Curzon; to give my father those eight years, I have to prevent the destruction of those three planets. My needs? My needs will save billions of lives. Millions of innocent children will be saved. I think that alone justifies my actions."

"Does it?" Curzon said with a sneer. "And that is the end of it? You wont change anything else? You wont tell Starfleet anything else? You wont share intelligence you've picked up in our time and compare it to the new timeline? Who knows, it might give the Federation an advantage. Hell, if you keep Syboks torpedo-schematics, you could recreate the event and change something else and change history all over again. Why not? Why stop at saving your father and three planets. Why not save the whole god damn galaxy while you're at it?!"

"And Why Not?!" Emelie's words blasted out of her mouth. "Why should I let millions of people die in Klingon raids or Romulan assaults?! Why should I let Cardassians and Tholians enslave planets and thriving alien cultures at will? You tell me why I shouldn't stop them all!"

Curzon took a moment to just look at Emelie. She was red in the face, beads of sweat on her forehead, her chest moved as she breathed. To his mind, Emelie Marcus-Kirk was insane.

"Where does it end?" the trill eventually asked. "Who decides what is to be changed and what should be untouched? Can you foresee every possible outcome? Do you think Starfleet could have ever imagined that destroying Romulus would send a Romulan ship back in time that would destroy Vulcan and alter the timeline? Do you think Sybok believed this would be the outcome of his plan to save his homeworld? Do you know what will happen if you launch that torpedo? Can you guarantee that the galaxy will be a better place? Can you even guarantee that your father will live one more day?"

"You can twist words and try and point out every pitfall should I go through with this" Emelie said, slowly pacing back and forth on the Klingon bridge. "It still does not change the fact that I will save three planets from destruction, Curzon. Billions of lives are at stake."

"Including your fathers" Curzon said, almost as if reminding Emelie of the fact.

Emelie nodded. "Yes, including my fathers. Once the USS Stargazer gets here, I will attack her, she will launch torpedoes and I will launch Syboks warhead. The rift will open and I will fly through it. The question you have to ask yourself is; will you go through with me, or not."

"What options do I have, should I stay behind?" Curzon wondered.

"Not many" Emelie said. "Fighting the Stargazer and flying through a temporal-rift, I wont have time to lower my shields. I wont be able to beam you off the ship and I wont be able to launch escape-pods. Truth be told, should you chose not to go with me… I will have no other choice but to kill you."

"Swell" Curzon said with a strained smile. "Then that settles it, doesn't it?"

"Good man" Emelie returned the smile and headed over to the station operating the sensors and scanners. "The Stargazer is heading straight for us at maximum warp" she said. "As soon as they arrive, we wont be rewriting history… we will reset it. There has never been a more important mission in the history of mankind."

"You just keep justifying your actions, Emelie. That still doesn't change the fact that you're a madman."

Emelie turned to look at Curzon. "Mad? Do you think I'm mad? I'm trying to save my father, damn it! Does that make me mad?!"

"Yes!" Curzon spat. "Yes, it makes you mad if your father has been dead for four years! He is dead and you are trying to change history to keep him alive! I'm sorry, Emelie, but that is madness!"

"I'm not trying to change history!" Emelie countered, waving her arms to emphasize her point. "I'm trying to set it straight! I'm trying to change it back to the way it should be!"

"Should be?!" Curzon spat again. "You intend to prevent the destruction of Praxis, aren't you?! Prevent the destruction of Romulus! Those are events that are meant to happen, if you don't remember. But you intend to stop it. Trying to reset time? You are trying to create a timeline that you prefer, not the timeline that should be."

"Enough!"

Emelie took a few quick steps and delivered a punch straight across Curzons face, dislodging a tooth that was sent flying together with a gob of blood and spit. Emelie grabbed Curzon by the throat and pressed her fingers hard inwards, almost forming a fist. Curzon was turning blue as she leaned in towards his panic-filled eyes.

"You should be glad I don't kill you here and now… You're coming with me, and we will stop the Romulans from sabotaging the peace-talks at Korvat. The Federation and the Klingons will have peace and Praxis will not be destroyed and the same goes for Romulus. And Vulcan. And you will help me give my father eight more years to live! Do you understand?!"

She let go of the trill and walked with determined strides to the pilots seat, leaving Curzon gasping for air, filling his lungs to the brink with each breath taken. As color returned to his face, breathing heavily, he eyed Emelie where she sat by the controls of the Bird-of-Prey.

"There are those" the trill said in between breaths, "that would rather see the world burn, than accept their fate."

"Fate?" Emelie said and shook her head. "Syboks torpedo has made fate obsolete."


	22. Chapter 22

Thirty minutes of silence. Emelie casually seated in the Bird-of-Preys pilots chair, stroking her chin with a finger as she studied the sensor-readings. Curzon chained to his own chair, next to the internal-operations station on the bridge. Thirty minutes where nothing was said, nothing was done, only waiting. Thirty minutes that allowed the USS Stargazer to get that much closer, travelling at maximum warp straight at their location.

A station sounded and both human and trill turned to look, both surprised by the sudden new sound. The communication-station, Curzon realized. Emelie hurried over and went over the information that was available.

"What is it?" Dax wondered, using his toes to angle his chair to face Emelie where she stood at the opposite end of the bridge.

"Incoming transmission over subspace" Emelie explained. "A secure frequency used by Starfleet Intelligence." Emelie straightened her back and turned to face the secured trill ambassador. "They are asking for me personally."

"This will not end like you hope it will" Curzon said.

"We will see" Emelie snorted and headed for the captains chair and sat down, then pressed a series of keys on the computer-pad attached to the armrest. She then turned to look directly at the large view-screen located at the front of the bridge, on the wall above the pilot's station.

On the large screen, a human woman of African descent appeared, wearing the green of Starfleet Intelligence and the rank of Major.

"I am Major U'hura of Starfleet Intelligence, transmitting from the USS Excalibur. Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk, we know that you have commandeered the IKS Klothos in direct violation of your given orders. You must be aware that the USS Stargazer will soon intercept you. We are close behind. As is the USS Farragut and the Klingon warship HaH'vat. You are outnumbered and outgunned. Whatever it is you hope to achieve, I assure you, you will fail. I urge you to power down your disruptors and deactivate your shields and prepare to be boarded. I urge you to cooperate. No one else has to die. Surrender to Starfleet and we will protect you from the Klingons. You have my word."

Emelie turned to look at Curzon. The trill was tense, lips stiff and his eyes hard as steel. His breathing was slow and deep. As Curzon Dax aimed his eyes at Emelie, he saw a mirror-image of himself.

"They are here to arrest you, Emelie" Dax eventually said, daring to challenge the tension on the bridge. "You need them to fire a torpedo that they will never launch."

Emelie sneered and then hit a key on the armrest. "Any Federation starship that enters this system will be fired upon and destroyed."

"Emelie, wait, listen…"

Before U'hura could finish the sentence, Emelie cut transmission. She sat silent for a while, thinking upon her options. Curzon sat silent as well, waiting for the young woman to come to a decision. Eventually, Emelie pushed herself back on her feet and headed for the pilots seat, sat down and operated the controls.

"Now what?" Curzon asked.

"I'm powering up my disruptors, preparing torpedo-bays, activating our cloak." Emelie looked back over her shoulder at the trill chained to one of the chairs on the bridge. "If they don't want to launch a torpedo, I will god damn make them."

 **XXX XXX**

"The Klothos has cloaked" Mogh said.

Sitting in the captains chair of the IKS HaH'vat, Kang growled as he stroked his bearded chin. Kor walked over to Mogh and double-checked the readings, before turning to the master of the Klingon warship.

"She intends to fight" Kor growled.

"She is human" Kang pointed out, leaning his head in Kors direction. "Humans don't fight such odds."

"She is the daughter of Kirk" Kor reminded Kang. "She will fight" he said once more to emphasize his point.

"It is not unthinkable" Tuvok said, having joined the Klingon crew after having been rescued from the escape-pod by the IKS HaH'vat. "Lieutenant Marcus-Kirk is not to be considered mentally stable and her actions are not likely to conform with normal human behavior. She is desperate and could very well chose to fight, in a vain hope of achieving her goals."

Kang snarled as he glanced at the vulcan. "I already regret rescuing you from that pod, vulcan."

Kor grinned and walked over to Tuvok and slapped the vulcans shoulder. "HA! Don't mind him, vulcan. Kang is a walking frown." Kor chuckled and took a few steps away from Tuvok. "But we agree. Emelie, daughter of Kirk, will fight. She will not surrender like a miserable ferengi. It's not in her blood." Kor then turned to face Kang and Tuvok. "She will fight them all!" he said and smiled, almost with pride.

"The question then is" Tuvok said, "what does she hope to achieve?"

Kor sighed, let out a deep exhale, and then turned to watch the main viewer of the bridge, depicting the tachyon-trail left by his ship, the Klothos.

"My ship carries the schematics for a device" Kor then revealed. "A device designed by the vulcan known as Sybok. If Emelie has found the schematics, which is not impossible as she knows I have them, she could have built this device out of the components of one of my torpedoes."

Kang slowly got up on his feet and walked with slow and heavy steps over to Kor. "This is why the romulans were after her? This is why you arrived at Korvat? To supply this human female with a torpedo designed by a vulcan?!"

Kor said nothing. He simply lowered his head in shame.

Tuvok gave it some thought. "This torpedo, this device" he said. "It was designed by Sybok so that he could complete his mission? To travel through space and time and reach the original timeline?"

Kang turned enraged eyes on the vulcan. "What are you talking about?!"

Kor slowly faced Tuvaok. "Aye" he said and nodded. "Curzon told me as much. And told me not to assemble it. But curse my name, I kept the schematics!" Kor shook his head and found an empty chair to crash into, head hanging in shame.

Kang eyed Kor for a brief moment and then, with a few mighty strides, made his way over to Tuvok and grabbed him by the collar, forcing his face into the vulcans. "Tell me, vulcan" Kang said, his fangs only an inch from Tuvoks skin, "what is going on?"

Tuvok did not even flinch. "It would seem as if lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk has created a device, following the instructions provided by one of the most intelligent beings in the Alpha Quadrant, that will allow her to reach a time and place where Vulcan has not been destroyed. The original goal of this mission was to ensure to prevent the destruction of Vulcan, Kronos and Romulus."

" _Qo'noS_?" Kang said, pronouncing the name of his homeworld in his own language. "What do you mean preventing its destruction?!"

"I realize that all of this must sound quite extraordinary" Tuvok said, ignoring the grip on his jacket and shirt that had him standing on his toes. "But in a reality, existing before our own, in a few years time, the moon of Praxis will collapse and the debris will destroy much of Kronos surface. This disaster will trigger a series of events that eventually will result in the Romulus star suddenly going supernova, which will send the Romulan vessel Narada back in time, which of course will result in the tragic destruction of Vulcan. We believe that Emelie is trying to prevent all of this from ever happening at all."

Kang, appearing quite frustrated after listening to the explanation, finally let go of the vulcan and pushed Tuvok to the side. Mogh caught the vulcan Starfleet officer and grabbed hold of his arm and placed the edge of his dagger against Tuvoks throat. Kang then turned and found Kor standing tall and proud.

"It is a weapon, Kang" Kor growled. "A terrible weapon that could destroy the empire. It must be destroyed before it falls into the hands of the enemy. Emelie must be killed." Kor fell to his knees and exposed his throat to the master of the warship. "I ask for forgiveness and place my life, my blood and my honor at your mercy."

"Klingons do no grant mercy" Kang growled and sat himself down in his captains chair. "I will bring you to the daughter of Kirk, where you can regain your honor by killing her with your own hands."

Kor got back on his feet and adjusted his armor. "And what if Starfleet gets to her first?"

Kang growled. "If anyone prevents you from restoring your honor, I will kill them."

Tuvok decided to ignore the knife held at his throat. "I am certain that this can be concluded using diplomatic channels. Firing upon a Starfleet vessel will not resolve this already complicated issue."

Kor walked over to Tuvok and let out a sigh. Kor smiled at the vulcan and gestured to Mogh to release him, and reluctantly, Mogh complied.

"That" Kor said and placed a hand on Tuvoks shoulder, "is secondary, I fear, my vulcan friend. Honor must be restored. Nothing is more important."

"There is no logic in that statement" Tuvok felt compelled to point out as he adjusted his uniform for a perfect fit once more.

"Logic has nothing to do with it" Kor smiled and patted Tuvok on the back. "Honor needs satisfaction and blood must be spilled."

Tuvok quirked an eyebrow at the explanation, just as Kang issued orders to his crew.

"Charge weapons, load torpedo-bays" Kang snarled. "Find me the Klothos."


	23. Chapter 23

The _USS Excalibur_ , an Excelsior-class cruiser, hurtled through space at maximum warp. On the bridge, Major U'hura studied the data that the ships sensors provided on the whereabouts of _USS Stargazer_ and the _USS Farragut_. And the last known location of the _IKS Klothos_. Captain Talya Rokoro, a fair-haired denobulan woman, placed herself next to the major.

"If Hikaru is correct, your run-away lieutenant will not have moved from her last known position" the captain said, hands crossed behind her back, as ever a hint of a smile on her lips. "We will find her, major, and stop her."

"I hope you're right, captain" U'hura said with a sigh. She then focused on an unidentified object moving at warp towards the Klothos. "Will the klingons reach Emelie before the Stargazer?"

Captain Rokoro took a look at the readings, comparing the data provided on the _Stargazer_ with the unknown contact that they suspected was the _IKS HaH'vat_. "The Stargazer will have three hours to try and stop lieutenant Marcus-Kirk before the HaH'vat and the klingons arrive." The captain straightened her back and smiled. "But I am confident that captain Al-Rasheed will have handled the situation long before the klingons show up to ruin it all."

U'hura was not as confident and definitely did not have a smile on her face. "Let's hope so, captain."

 **XXX XXX**

The Constellation-class cruiser, _USS Stargazer_ , appeared as if coming to a sudden halt, appearing out nowhere as it disengaged its warp-engines; its four nacelles glowing after having been pushed to their limits.

"No contacts, the void is clear" the officer at Ops called out.

"Phasers charged and ready, shields at maximum" the tactical officer informed.

The commander, an andorian, having studied their sensors-readings, turned to his captain. "Now what?"

"Deploy probes as planned" the captain said, an aging human of Arabic descent. His white hair and beard almost silver against his tanned skin. "Lower our aft-shields to sixty percent and divert it to our bow."

"Decrease our shields?" the andorian commander asked, a bit perplexed. "Captain, we are looking for a hostile ship, commandeered by a traitor."

"Lieutenant Marcus-Kirk was a former officer of Starfleet Intelligence" Captain Ali Al-Rasheed said. "She's young and has only limited understanding of military tactics, let alone the finer details of space-battle. She is a novice and as a novice she will attack us where we appear the weakest." As he explained, he rested comfortably in his captains chair on the bridge and then glanced at his executive officer. "She will decloak a few light-seconds to our rear, and as she does, we will disable her vessel with our phasers."

The andorian nodded. "Very good, captain."

"Any news on the unidentified contact travelling at warp?" the captain then asked and turned to face his chief science officer.

"We can confirm that it is a klingon vessel, most likely a large battleship" the grazerite replied. "In fifteen minutes they will be in range for a solid confirmation and identification."

"The IKS HaH'vat, no doubt" the andorian on the bridge said, looking grim.

"Indeed" Al-Rasheed said and nodded. "Kang is about three hours away. We want to find Emelie Marcus-Kirk before he arrives on the scene. Let's get to work, people."

 **XXX XXX**

The _Stargazer_ deployed probes in a grid around it, each one marked by a red circle up on the _Klothos_ main viewer. On another display, directly in front of the pilots station, data on the Federation vessels configurations were listed with numbers, text and images. Emelie, holding the controls and steering the cloaked Bird-of-Prey, carefully maneuvered into a position directly behind the _Stargazer_ , currently a full light-minute away but the distance was slowly decreasing by the second.

"They're luring you in" Dax said, still chained to his chair. He was looking at a display located by the closest station to him on the bridge. "They're trying to trick you into decloaking."

"And why should I listen to you?" Emelie sneered.

"Because if you botch this" Curzon spat, "you will get me killed! And I have no wish to become a Federation martyr."

Emelie glanced back at the trill, then at the Starfleet vessel in her scopes, then back at Curzon Dax. "So what do you suggest?"

Dax turned to look at the displays to his side, the klingon computers pointing out strengths and weaknesses on the _USS Stargazer_. "First, we hook up the ships cannons to the warp-drive. It makes your guns ten times more powerful. There should be a lever called attack-posture by your controls" he said and turned back to face the human female.

Emelie scanned her controls, moving her eyes across the buttons, dials and switches. "Found it!" she said and pulled the lever that Curzon had told her about. As she did, a screen indicated the ships wings folding upwards until they had all but levelled with the hull itself. Almost immediately did Emelie see an increase in the ships disruptor-cannons energy-reserves. "Disruptors are powering up" she grinned. "We're at full power."

"Good" Dax nodded. "Now you need to manually mark out the Stargazers phaser-banks. Use the computer and the Stargazer will detect the increase in sensor-activity."

"Got it" Emelie said and marked each weapons-battery on the Starfleet cruiser by pressing a screen with her finger, the screen depicting the schematics of the _USS Stargazer_. "Six phaser-banks in total" she said.

"You need to take those out" Dax emphasized. "That leaves them only with torpedoes to defend themselves with."

Emelie turned the pilots chair around to allow her to completely face the trill. "Why are you helping me?" Her query more of a demand for an answer than a question.

Curzon let out a deep sigh. "You have no intentions of getting captured. You will succeed or you will die. If you succeed, I live. If you fail… then I die also. Kang wont let you survive this. And the Federation, once you open fire, wont let you go through with this. They will blow this ship up without thinking. If I don't help you, I'm as good as dead."

"Fair enough, I guess" Emelie concluded, tapping her armrest with her fingers as she studied the maverick Federation ambassador. "So what do you suggest? How do we take out their shields without walking into a trap?"

"We do it like Kor did, when he destroyed the USS T'roul" Curzon explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We lie in wait ahead of them and as they pass over us, we decloak, launch a torpedo and fire our guns at point-blank-range, veer off and reengage our cloak. Their focus will be to their rear, expecting us to decloak behind them, not below them. They will expect of you to open fire at a distance of two or three light-seconds, not a hundred meters away. You're flying a klingon warship, lieutenant; if you're going to survive this you will have to fly it like a klingon."

Emelie smiled and nodded. As she turned her chair around to increase velocity, Curzon Dax let out a deep sigh. He had bought himself some time. If he could just keep Emelie, and the _Klothos_ , alive and operational for a couple of hours, Kang would arrive and then Emelie would get what she deserved. Curzon knew the Federation would do everything in their power to capture Emelie alive. Kang would make sure that the daughter of Kirk would never live to see another day. Curzon had to keep Emelie in the fight long enough for Kang to show up; only then would she no longer be a threat to the universe. Only if she was dead would Emelie no longer be a threat to history, be it past, present or future.


	24. Chapter 24

The USS Excalibur disengaged its warp-drive and the Excelsior-class vessel came to a sudden stop. Major Nyota U'hura of Starfleet Intelligence took a few steps closer to the large view-screen at the fore of the bridge and studied the scene.

"Eighty percent of the crew are alive" the Ops-station reported.

"Communications?" captain Rokoro asked, her denobulan smile replaced with stiff lips.

"Destroyed" the ships executive officer informed after looking at his readings.

U'hura felt tension grip her stomach as she watched the badly damaged USS Stargazer, having lost two nacelles entirely and a third of its hull-plating to incoming fire.

"Prepare medical teams to receive the crew of the Stargazer" captain Rokoro said. "Start beaming them over here."

"Yes, captain" the commander said without hesitation.

U'hura quickly turned around to face the denobulan captain. "Is that wise? The Klothos is still out there. If we lower our shields…"

"We need to secure the crew of the Stargazer" Rokoro was quick to counter, sitting in the captains chair in the center of the bridge. "There are injured Starfleet officers on that ship that need immediate medical attention. Besides, Kang and the HaH'vat should be here somewhere. If they are cloaked, they are waiting for the Klothos to re-emerge. My order stands. We can expect the USS Farragut to arrive in little over an hour. Not to worry, major; your run-away lieutenant wont escape us" the female denobulan said and the wide denobulan smile returned.

U'hura was not reassured. Instead, she turned to watch the broken remains of the USS Stargazer where she floated helplessly in space. Emelie had shown that she was determined to go through with her insane plan.

 **XXX XXX**

The USS Excalibur was depicted on the main viewer, all her strengths and weaknesses pointed out by the warships computer.

"A much more potent adversary than the USS Stargazer" Tuvok said, standing as he was on the bridge of the IKS HaH'vat. "It would be a quite irrational decision for Emelie to try and engage the USS Excalibur on her own. Yet, we can not rely on her to be rational at this point in time. Too much evidence points to the contrary."

"I must admit" Kang growled, "I am forced to give her credit for her prowess in battle. To destroy the Stargazer as she has done is most impressive."

"It was not Emelie" Kor said, nodding with a smile as he turned to Kang. "It was Curzon. Our scanners confirm it; the Stargazer was attacked using the same pattern I used to destroy the T'roul."

Tuvok nodded. "Yet, unlike the USS T'roul, the USS Stargazer did not launch any torpedoes. Which means that captain Sulu has warned Starfleet of Emelies intentions. She will not succeed with her plans."

Kang turned to his first officer. "The tachyon leak, can we detect it?" he asked, referring to Kors information of the Klothos leaking tachyon particles.

"There are tachyons emanating from within the system, my lord" Mogh growled. "But tachyons travel faster than the speed of light; it is impossible to pinpoint their origins within the system. By the time we register a particles trajectory, the Klothos will have moved well out of the way."

"The Excalibur is lowering its shields!" the pilot of the warship snarled.

"Federation fools" Kor said as they all turned to watch the main viewer. "Trying to rescue their friends from drowning, while a lash-serpent is waiting just beneath the waves."

"Ready weapons" Kang said with a low growl. "Emelie will make her move."

 **XXX XXX**

"It's a trick… It has to be."

Emelie watched as her scanners told her that the USS Excalibur was lowering shields and moving in closer to the USS Stargazer. She had the Excelsior-class vessel in her crosshairs, her disruptors and torpedoes ready to fire straight at the ships warp-core. The Excalibur was directly ahead of her and she was less than a light-second directly behind the large Starfleet cruiser. If she decloaked and fired, they would not be able to raise shields or evade the incoming fire; she would score a direct hit.

Emelie turned around to look at Dax. "They must know I'm out here. If they start beaming over the wounded they will lose both ships."

"They know as well as we do that the HaH'vat is out there somewhere" Curzon said.

They had lost contact with the IKS HaH'vat right before it had entered the system. Kang had slowed down to below warp five, allowing him to enter the system under cloak while still at warp. Now the experienced klingon warlord and his battleship was out there somewhere, waiting, and neither Emelie nor Curzon knew exactly what Kang was waiting for.

"If you move over to the Stargazer" Curzon said, "you could use her as a shield. Keep her between you and the Excalibur and they wont be able to shoot. But you have to do it now while there are still crew onboard the Stargazer. As long as there still are people on that ship, the Excalibur wont dare to open fire."

Emelie said nothing, she simply complied with the suggestion as it sounded like a good idea to her mind. Operating the pilots controls, she increased throttle and took the Klothos in a low dive down below the USS Excalibur and the USS Stargazer.

"It's a good plan, Dax" Emelie eventually said just as they went below the much larger Excelsior-class vessel. "But we still need them to launch a torpedo at us. I took out all phaser-banks on the Stargazer, they had nothing left to defend themselves with but torpedoes, and they did not fire. I killed a hundred of their crew after they were crippled and they still refused to fire. Why would this be any different?"

"Because Starfleet wont simply watch while you destroy the Stargazer with all hands onboard" the trill replied, still chained to the chair. "If you open fire on the Stargazer, the Excalibur will use every weapon they have to stop you. Trust me, Emelie… you will have an ample supply of torpedoes coming at you."

"At us" Emelie corrected Curzon Dax, just as they moved in below the remains of the USS Stargazer.

Curzon nodded. "Yeah… At us" he repeated to correct himself.

 **XXX XXX**

The link between the bridge of the USS Stargazer and the USS Excalibur was choppy and distorted, but functional.

"Captain, we are glad to see you" captain Al-Rasheed said, a thick bandage wrapped around his head and covering his left eye.

"It is good to see you alive, Ali" captain Rokoro said, offering a warm denobulan smile that stretched her face to its limits. "Your wounded have already made it to our sickbay. We will have you all onboard in less than an hour."

"Captain" U'hura said and stepped into view, "the Klothos, do you know if it has moved on?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry" Al-Rasheed confessed. "The initial volley took out many of our phasers. After that, we lost our sensors. The attack was a tactical masterpiece."

"One we have seen before" Rokoro cut in. "The Klothos used the exact same maneuvers to destroy the USS T'roul some years ago. I am sure of it. At the time, I was a commander on the USS Xilrah and my captain used those exact words to describe Kors attack; a tactical masterpiece."

U'hura turned to look at the captain of the USS Excalibur. "Are you saying that the klingon warlord Kor is still in command of the Klothos?"

"The modus operandi would suggest so, major" captain Rokoro said, still seated in her captains chair. "The klingons could be in league with Emelie, and if they are, it could explain why the HaH'vat has yet to make a move." The denobulan female turned serious, a stark contrast to her wide smile. "Major, there are right now two klingon warships cloaked in this system and one Starfleet vessel has already been shot to pieces by klingon cannons. I admit that I at first felt reassured by the presence of the IKS HaH'vat, but now, I am no longer so certain."

"Captain!" the officer in charge of communications shouted across the bridge. "The Klothos is hailing us!"

"Klingon Bird-of-Prey decloaking just beyond the Stargazer!" the Operations officer called out.

"Shields up!" Rokoro ordered. "Lock phasers!"

"Good luck, captain" captain Al-Rasheed said and quickly cut transmission.

U'hura watched the main viewscreen as Al-Rasheeds face was replaced by an image of the crippled USS Stargazer and the klingon warship that had emerged out of hiding behind the damaged Starfleet vessel.

"The Klothos is still hailing us, captain."

Rokoro took a deep breath. "On screen."

U'huras lips stiffened as Emelie Marcus-Kirk, the daughter of the greatest hero in Starfleet history, appeared on the large screen.

"Hello, captain" Emelie said, looking determined and fierce, prepared to take on the world if she had to.

"Lieutenant Marcus-Kirk" Rokoro said, "lower your shields and surrender. The Klothos is no match for the Excalibur."

"You're right, captain" Emelie admitted and leaned back into her seat. "That's why I will destroy the Stargazer and all of her crew, unless you give me what I want."

"And what do you want?" captain Rokoro asked.

"I want you to launch one of your torpedoes" Emelie explained bluntly. "Launch it into space. That's all. And you can leave the rest to me."

"Out of the question!" U'hura said and revealed herself. "We're not giving you a damned torpedo, Emelie."

Emelie smirked. "I'm reading well over three hundred crew still remaining on the Stargazer. My disruptors are locked and ready to fire. If you want to save them, all you have to do is launch a torpedo into space and I will let them live."

"Major."

U'hura turned around to face captain Rokoro. The female denobulan was looking grim to say the least.

"Three hundred lives are at stake" Rokoro continued. "Three hundred Starfleet officers."

"Who have sworn to give their lives in the line of duty if necessary!" U'hura barked. The senior Intelligence officer then turned her attention back at the rogue lieutenant. "It's over, Emelie. Listen to reason! We will not give you that torpedo. We can't let you go through with this insane plan of yours. You must understand this."

"Damn it, Nyota, don't make me do this" Emelie growled through grinding teeth.

"I'm not forcing you into anything" U'hura said in response. "If you open fire, a lot of people will die… for nothing."

Emelie sat silent, lips tightly pressed together. Anger was almost glowing in her eyes. "A lot of people will die, Nyota… and their blood will be on your hands."

The conversation was interrupted as the Excaliburs Operations officer cut them all off. "IKS HaH'vat is decloaking!"

 **XXX XXX**

The massive battleship came down from above, cloak disengaged, and open fire with every cannon and torpedo-launcher available in its forward arch. The unleashed bombardment hit the Klothos with full force, overloading the Bird-of-Preys shields and hitting its hull, blasting great holes into the structure of the smaller warship.

The Klothos quickly veered off and avoided taking more hits, avoiding two incoming klingon torpedoes in the process. The HaH'vat took pursuit but it did not take long before the IKS Klothos was cloaked once again and gone from any sensors.

 **XXX XXX**

"The HaH'vat is raising its shields" the Excaliburs executive officer announced. "She's is coming about."

Rokoro found it strange. "They only engaged their shields now?"

"Yes,captain."

Rokoro and U'hura exchanged glances before the captain turned her attention back at the executive officer. "We have no time to spare. Lower our shields and get the crew of the Stargazer onboard the Excalibur immediately. Deploy shuttles and ferry them over. Get it done!"

"Yes, captain!"

"The HaH'vat is hailing us, captain."

"On screen."

Much to everyone's surprise, it was not a klingon appearing on the viewscreen, but a vulcan. And a vulcan wearing the uniform of Starfleet.

"Greetings, captain" the vulcan said. "I am ensign Tuvok, acting chief science officer on the USS Excelsior. I have important information to share. You should concentrate your efforts on rescuing the survivors of the USS Stargazer. Lord Kang will provide security during your efforts to do so."

"What about Emelie and the Klothos?" U'hura asked quite demandingly.

Tuvok did not seem impressed by either U'huras rank or her demeanor as he found himself addressing a major of Starfleet Intelligence rather than the captain of the USS Excalibur. "Major" he simply said, "the klingons have successfully boarded the Klothos."


	25. Chapter 25

Emelie was walking down the main corridor of the Klothos neck-section, the large beam connecting the bridge-module with the main hull. She carried a Klingon mek'leth in her one hand and a Klingon made tricorder in the other. As the tricorder indicated a bio-reading up ahead, she stopped and secured it to her belt. Soon after, Kor stepped into view from an interconnecting corridor. Armed with a bat'leth, the impressive warlord studied the human woman with an enraged frown twisting his hard Klingon features.

"Emelie, daughter of Kirk" Kor growled. "You are without honor and you will die by my hand."

"My father never believed in giving up" Emelie said. "And I have no intentions of giving up now."

Kor snarled and charged, bat'leth held high and ready to strike down with all of his might. Emelie quickly reached for her thigh and freed from the holster the Klingon harpoon-gun she had equipped herself with. No tetryon-particle would cause a harpoon-gun to jam. The harpoon was launched with a loud hiss as the gas-cartridge forced momentum into the harpoon and sent it flying like a missile down the corridor. Kor howled with pain as the jagged ballistic lodged itself in his chest and buried itself deep. But it did not stop the warlord; Kor growled loud like a lion and kept charging. Emelie braced herself for combat and held up the mek'leth with both hands; the might from Kors blow struck the mek'leth from Emelies hands and he followed it up by slamming his shoulder into her chest, sending Emelie flying several yards backwards down the corridor.

Emelie quickly crawled back onto her feet, ducked at the last moment Kors bat'leth, sidestepped a kick from the warlord and backed away from another swing with the bat'leth. Kor snarled, swung his weapon again, Emelie rolled in under the bat'leth, came up on her knees next to the Klingon and struck him hard over the knee-joint and dragged him down to the floor. At the same second that Kors back hit the flooring, he kicked Emelie over the back, sending her flying forwards. Kor climbed back on his feet and Emelie rolled over her shoulder to end up on her knees. Emelie then quickly ran towards her mek'leth where it lay on the floor and managed to grab it and move out of the way as Kors bat'leth barely missed her and instead struck the bulkhead, breaking off one of the twin points of the striking end. Emelie turned to strike at Kor, but the Klingon took a quick step towards her and hit her hard into the chest with his shoulder, sending her up against the opposite wall. Kor grabbed her, struck her face with a powerful headbutt, his ridged forehead crushing her nose entirely.

With tears in her eyes and blood gushing from her flat nose, Emelie was thrown to the floor and lost her grip on the Klingon weapon. A kick to her side broke three ribs, pain exploding in her torso. Kor reached down and grabbed her by the shoulder and forcefully turned her over onto her back. Emelie was a mess and pain was surging through her body, adrenaline saturating her bloodstream. She looked up at the impressive warrior as Kor raised his bat'leth, looking down on her. Death was imminent. He faltered, unable to hold his weapon raised and dropped it by his side. He took a step, unable to maintain his balance and stumbled, fell over and crashed into the far wall. Emelie crawled up on over to the wall behind her and rested up against the bulkhead as she turned to look at the klingon warlord.

Kor was breathing heavily, his chest covered in purple blood that was freely leaking from where the harpoon has pierced him. He had trouble breathing, that was evident. He looked at the harpoon and then across the corridor at Emelie. She looked back at him. Kor sighed, a deep exhale that was a clear sign of his resignation in the face of fate and destiny.

" _QI'yaH_ " Kor whispered in last act of defiance in the face of death.

Emelie watched as Kor slowly slumped over, slowly falling to the side and ending up with his face in a pool of his own blood on the cold floor. She crawled on all fours at first, then slowly got back on her feet, an arm cradling her broken ribcage, using the wall for support. Blood ran down her face from her smashed nose, sticky drops of crimson falling onto her chest from the tip of her jaw.

 **XXX XXX**

"There is no sign of the Klothos" Mogh said, turning away from the sensors and faced Kang.

"Kor should have killed Emelie by now" Kang muttered and stroked his beard.

Tuvok, hands crossed behind his back, also turned to face the lord of the warship. "I believe we must consider the possibility that Kor has failed. As I argued before, he should not have boarded the Klothos on his own."

"It was a matter of honor" Kang said with a growl. "It had to be done."

"That may be" Tuvok continued. "But now we must plan to either destroy the Klothos outright, or find a way to board her again. This time I would suggest that you send me. As I explained earlier; when the romulans boarded the ship, I manipulated the onboard sensors to ignore vulcan signatures. If I can get onboard that ship, Emelie will never find me. I will be able to move undetected by the ships sensors and take control of the ship."

"And how will you get on that ship?" Mogh wondered.

Tuvok turned to face the HaH'vats executive officer. "I am afraid that is classified to non-Starfleet personnel."

 **XXX XXX**

Curzon Dax turned as soon as the door to the bridge opened, still secured to the chair with chains. As Emelie limped onto the bridge, bloodied and bruised, Curzon let out a sigh.

"What's the matter?" Emelie said, her teeth red with blood. "Disappointed?"

"Relieved" Curzon countered.

Emelie took a moment to find her balance, focused on breathing, as she eyed the trill. She then slowly took aim at him with the harpoon-gun.

"You… You told me how to defeat the Stargazer" Emelie then said. "You told me how Kor had done it… You told me to use the Stargazer as a shield. Like Kor had done. And then Kor beams onto the ship." She paused to breathe, her chest stinging with pain as her lungs were filled with air. "He saw what you were doing… he knew what was going to happen."

"I didn't know he was out there" Curzon pointed out, the air between them as cold as an andorian glacier. "I couldn't have known."

"You hoped… didn't you?" Emelie said, teeth grinding and her eyes aflame with anger. "You set me up so that the Klingons could kill me."

"Emelie, listen to me" Dax pleaded. "You have to listen to me. I'm trying to save us both…"

The harpoon hit Curzon with a ' _Thudd!_ '. Curzon gasped, eyes wide with surprise. Looking down, he saw the rod sticking out of his chest, a bloodstain growing rapidly across his cloathing. He coughed and blood spilled out of his mouth. Bewildered, Curzon looked up at Emelie and found no words to utter.

"You will not stop me" Emelie said and pulled the trigger, lodging a second harpoon in the trills chest. "None of you will."

Curzon let out a sigh and his head fell backwards, stretching his throat and then his head rolled to the side and ended up resting against his shoulder. Emelie dropped the gun to the floor, took a look around the bridge and then slowly made her way to the captains chair. She sat down, gently as she cradled her chest and the broken ribs, and then started pushing buttons on the attached data-pad on the armrest.

 **XXX XXX**

Captain Rokoro entered her ready-room, followed by Major U'hura and Ensign Tuvok. As the door closed behind them, Rokoro sat herself down behind her desk.

"So, ensign, tell me how we will uncloak the Klothos?" Rokoro inquired.

U'hura sat down as well, but the vulcan remained on his feet.

"Reconfigured probes will flood the system with neutrinos" Tuvok explained. "The neutrinos will detonate all tetryon-devices on the Klothos, providing us with a radiation-signature that we should be able to detect and track. Once we are certain we have located the Klothos, we open fire with our phasers and rupture the cloaking-field. Without a cloak and unshielded, the Klothos will be vulnerable to a boarding action. I will transport aboard, as I already have disabled the ships ability to detect vulcan bio-signatures using its onboard sensors. I will then find and neutralize lieutenant Marcus-Kirk."

"Neutrinos and tetryon-particles?" Rokoro wondered. "How do you know this will affect the klingon ship?"

"That is classified" U'hura quickly cut in. "And that information will not leave this room. Ensign Tuvok will oversee the modifications on the probes and I will assist. No one else is to be involved with these modifications. If knowledge of this leaks out, we could start a war with the Klingon Empire."

"Secret technical data on a Bird-of-Prey?" Rokoro nodded. "I can see why the Klingons would find that information sensitive."

At that point, they were interrupted by the intercom coming alive. "Captain, the Klothos has decloaked!"

Tuvok, U'hura and Rokoro hurried back onto the bridge and looked out through the main viewport at the fore of the bridge, just in time to see the Klothos re-engage its cloak as it flew past the USS Stargazer, leaving two torpedoes to slam into the wreck and obliterating it entirely. Everyone on the bridge flinched and covered their eyes as the massive explosion that was the result of the attack-run blinded them all.

"Situation report!" Rokoro demanded as she sat herself down in the captains chair.

"The Stargazer is destroyed!" the Ops officer said as she checked her readings. She then slowly turned to face the captain. "There were still fifty people onboard. Including captain Al-Rasheed… and commander Urqhem" the lieutenant added, referring to the Excaliburs executive officer who had overseen the rescue operation personally.

"We are being hailed" the communications officer reported.

Captain Rokoro already knew who it was. "On screen" the denobulan female said with words so harsh they sounded like they had been cut from stone.

The bruised and bloodied face of Emelie Marcus-Kirk appeared on the screen, flickering and losing focus constantly as she was transmitting from within a cloaking-field.

"Lieutenant Marcus-Kirk" Rokoro said, "you will surrender now or you will be destroyed."

Emelie almost seemed void of emotion as she responded to the threat. "I will never surrender, captain. I will come at you with everything I've got. I will kill every single one of you. You will all die today."

Transmission was cut. Captain Rokoro turned to U'hura and Tuvok.

"Get those probes ready" the captain ordered.

U'hura and Tuvok did not say a word, they simply headed for the turbo-lifts to get started on the important modifications. Rokoro was looking over her shoulder and waited for the turbo-lift doors to close; once she was certain that she was alone on her bridge with only the members of her crew, the captain of the USS Excalibur turned to her tactical officer.

"Load all torpedo-bays" Rokoro said. "Prepare to fire on my command. Once that vulcan locates the Klothos, we will destroy her."


	26. Chapter 26

Kang smelled the brandy with some suspicion before he studied the liquid with unconvinced eyes. Eventually, he sipped the drink, grimaced at its taste and returned it to the table. In the briefing-lounge of the USS Excalibur, he was joined by captain Rokoro, major U'hura and ensign Tuvok.

"Emelie is out there somewhere" U'hura said. "And she intends to kill us. We have a way to find her."

This caught Kangs attention. "She is cloaked. How will you discover her with her cloak engaged?"

U'hura glanced over at Tuvok, who provided the answer. "When the Excelsior engaged the Gr'oth, we discovered that neutrinos could detonate klingon tetryon-devices. The plan is to make use of this discovery against Emelie. Probes, modified to flood space with neutrinos, will detonate all tetryon-devices on the Klothos. Not only will it disable all disruptors onboard, including her ships cannons, but it will also provide a spike in tetryon-radiation that we will hopefully be able to track. Once we have discovered her location, we will open fire."

"And you know this how?" Kang wondered with a low growl.

"Does it matter?" U'hura said. "What matters is that we can find Emelie and the Klothos. And we can stop her."

Tuvok continued. "The one issue is of course that our neutrino-probes will affect the HaH'vat as well. Your entire cargo of tetryon-devices will all detonate and your entire crew will suffer from radiation-poisoning as a result. I regret that I must advice you to withdraw from the system."

Kang studied each of the Starfleet officers in turn. "Withdraw?" he then said with contempt. "Retreat? Flee like a coward?!" Kang hit the table with his clenched fist, spilling some of his drink as a result. "The only reason that you possess this information on our tetryon-devices is that you studied the databanks stolen from the Gr'oth" Kang snarled. "Databanks you vowed to destroy! Now, that information has been shared with Starfleet!" Kang pushed himself out of his chair with such force that the chair was flung onto the floor. "Your neutrino-probes are now your most potent weapon against the forces of the Klingon Empire. The Empire has now only one choice… to declare war."

"Forgive me, lord Kang" Tuvok said, "but a war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation will only benefit the Romulans, as you yourself pointed out onboard the Excelsior."

"That no longer matters" Kang said, his eyes hard as stone. "You deciphered the databanks and are now using that information to destroy not one, but two, klingon vessels. Honor demands a response."

"And what is your response, my lord?" Rokoro asked.

Kang moved his right hand to his left arm and activated the commlink he carried there and then uttered a single word. " _tIHIv_!"

It did not take long before the bridge reported to the captain over the intercom-system. "Captain! The HaH'vat has locked on to us!"

The Excalibur shook and Kang fell over the table. Kang freed his disruptor-pistol and took aim at Rokoro, disintegrating her head with a single shot. Tuvok climbed the table and threw himself at the klingon warlord and tackled him to the ground. U'hura hurried after and joined Tuvok in trying to subdue the intimidating warrior. The Excalibur shook with each hit. U'hura held on to Kangs pistol-arm, while Tyvok had the fierce klingon in a headlock. Kang freed his d'k tahg from its scabbard and plunged it into Tuvoks thigh, the vulcan screaming from pain. Kang elbowed Tuvok in the gut and managed to free himself from the headlock and instantly punched U'hura three times over the face.

As Kang crawled back to his feet, U'hura ignored the pain of her smashed face and grabbed a chair and swung it over the back of the klingon warlord, sending Kang crashing into the table. Tuvok pulled the dagger from his leg and hurried after Kang; as the dagger dug into the klingons shoulder, Kang delivered a powerful strike with his elbow across Tyvoks face, sending the vulcan to the floor. U'hura grabbed the d'k tahg and pulled it free, sending purple blood squirting into the ceiling. Kang let out a roar of pain. Major U'hura stabbed Kang in his back as hard as she could and the klingon roared from the inflicted wound. Kang twisted around and grabbed Nyota by the throat and displayed his fangs in a terrifying roar, and then he flung her with both hands, sending her flying across the room and crashing into the wall, crushing several models of all previous starships that had born the name USS Excalibur.

Tuvok grabbed Kang by the neck, trying to subdue the warlord with the famous neck-pinch, but Kang was quick to hit the arm out of the way, turn, and punch Tuvok in the gut. As the young vulcan folded over, Kang grabbed Tuvok by the collar and threw him against the table. Tuvok cried out as his back struck the edge of the table with full force, and before he had time to regain his senses, Kang delivered a mighty kick to the vulcans chest. Tuvok fell over on the floor, landing in a pile.

The Excalibur was rocked by a massive explosion and Kang lost his footing and balance and found himself tumbling up against the hull. Nyota saw her chance and ran, ran for all her worth, and body-slammed the massive klingon, pressing him up against the hull once more. She dragged him down to the floor and ripped the dagger from his back. Kang roared with pain. A roar that was suddenly silenced as Nyota plunged the d'k tahg with both hands and all of her strength into Kangs throat. She crawled up against the wall to rest, her chest heaving with heavy breaths. She glanced over at Tuvok and then crawled on over to where he lay in a heap. She rolled over the vulcan on his back and checked his pulse by pressing her hand against the righthand-side of his abdomen, locating his heart; there was a pulse. It was weak, but he was alive.

Nyota hurried to get back on her feet and headed for the bridge. Upon entering it, she saw red lights flashing, medical personnel treating wounded and a few fires burning. "I need a medic!" she cried out, holding on to the wall as the ship shook from incoming fire.

The Excaliburs chief of security, a tellarite by the name of Blonq, sat in the Excaliburs captains chair. "Where is the captain?!"

"Dead!" U'hura said as she made her way over to the chief of security while two medical officers ran towards the briefing-lounge. "What is going on, lieutenant commander?" she then asked, holding on to the captains chair for balance.

"The HaH'vat suddenly attacked us for no reason, major" Blonq said with a frown. "We've taken heavy damage. Before we had time to react, we had been hit by four torpedoes and multiple salvos of disruptor-cannons. We are in bad shape. But the Klothos has attacked the HaH'vat, major, and drawn her away."

"The Klothos?" U'hura could hardly believe it as she turned to watch the information up on the viewscreen.

"Yes, major" Blonq nodded. "The HaH'vat is currently chasing her and we are now moving into a position to launch torpedoes at the HaH'vat."

"She needs us alive" U'hura whispered, thinking aloud.

The Excalibur launched two torpedoes and fired phasers at the HaH'vat, hitting the massive klingon warship along its dorsal. The torpedoes took out the shields and allowed several phaser-volleys to hit the hull of the HaH'vat, punching great holes in its armor. The HaH'vat continued its pursuit of the smaller Bird-of-Prey, firing disruptor-cannons time and time again, missing with less than fifty meters to spare at times.

Suddenly another ship left warp and found itself in the middle of the battle, a Starfleet vessel of Constitution-class came flying in with phasers firing, blasting the HaH'vat with volley upon volley.

On the bridge of the Excalibur, a familiar face appeared on the main viewscreen as lieutenant commander Blonq had accepted their hails.

"Excalibur, this is captain Aster of the USS Farragut. I hope we are not too late."

"Not at all, captain" U'hura cut in and took over the conversation. "But we have not much time. Both klingon vessels are hostile, captain. But the Klothos is the only one we need to neutralize. We need only to disable the HaH'vat. Is that understood?"

"Understood" the captain of the Farragut nodded. "Not to worry, major. We took a slight detour and picked up a surprise along the way."

 **XXX XXX**

The shuttlebay of the Farragut opened and a medium-sized shuttle exited the larger vessels interior. It accelerated immediately and swung around to follow the Farragut towards the battle and the pursuit of the two klingon vessels.

Onboard the shuttle, the pilot activated the comm-unit. "This is shuttle three-six-eight Alcazaba, we have cleared the hangar-bay and have begun the mission" ensign Faradal said.

"Roger that, shuttle three-six-eight Alcazaba" USS Farragut replied. "Good luck and be careful. Watch out for the crossfire."

"Oh, you can bet I will" Faradal said. "Alcazaba, out." Faradal cut transmission and glanced at the officer sitting next to him in the cockpit. "There are four starships firing at each other out there" he said. "This is not a good idea, captain."

Hikaru Sulu adjusted the settings of a few dials and switches where he sat in the co-pilots seat. "We need to end this, ensign" he said with determination. "And we will."

At that point lieutenant commander Shrav, the andorian chief engineer of the USS Excelsior, joined the other two in the cockpit and sat down in a passengers-seat behind the pilot.

Sulu glanced over his shoulder back at Shrav. "Well?"

"We're good to go, captain" Shrav said, tension in his voice.

"Excellent" Sulu said with a nod and turned his attention to the ships engaged in battle up ahead. "Take us in."

Ensign Faradal took a deep breath and shook his head with some reluctance over the order he had been given. "Yes, captain" he eventually said and increased velocity and headed straight for the ongoing battle.

 **XXX XXX**

The IKS HaH'vat was taking a serious beating, but was dishing out severe blows of its own, particularly against the USS Excalibur. The Farragut had tipped the scales to favor the Federation, but the HaH'vat was not so easily defeated; a thick hull combined with strong shields and powerful disruptors made it a formidable foe. The Klothos circled the other ships and took potshots at the HaH'vat whenever it could, trying to hit it where the larger warship was the weakest at the moment, leaving the real fighting to the two Starfleet cruisers. Following the battle at some distance, yet staying close enough to be forced to avoid stray phaser and disruptor blasts, was the shuttle carrying Hikaru Sulu.

 **XXX XXX**

"The Excalibur and the Farragut are in control" Faradal said. "The HaH'vat doesn't stand a chance if they stick around for much longer."

Shrav nodded. "If we're gonna do this, we need to do it now."

Sulu looked at his two companions and then activated the shuttles communications. "IKS Klothos… Emelie… this is captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Excelsior. Please respond." Moments, seconds, of silence. "Emelie, I know you can hear me" Sulu said as he watched the Klothos fire a salvo of disruptors at the HaH'vat before quickly veering off. "Emelie, disengage and leave the fighting to the Excalibur and the Farragut. You need to listen to me, Emelie… I have what you want."

A few seconds of silence and then, Emelie appeared on a small viewscreen as she responded to the transmission.

"Prove it."

Sulu took a deep breath. "I'm locking on now" he said and flicked two switches and pressed three keys in sequence.

"Target locked" Faradal confirmed.

"We're good to launch" Shrav said as he checked information on a datapad he carried with him.

Emelie, glancing at her own controls, could not help being suspicious. "Why? What are you doing?"

Hikaru felt a great lump in his chest as he looked straight at Emelie. "Save him. Save them all." And then, he pressed the final button.

Shrav's face was lit up by his datapad. "Torpedo away!"

From their position in the cockpit, they saw the bright red photon-torpedo racing through space towards the distant Bird-of-Prey.

 **XXX XXX**

On the USS Farragut, the tactical officer turned his chair to face captain Aster. "Sir! Captain Sulu's shuttle just launched a torpedo at the Klothos!"

"What?!" Aster got out of his chair and ran over to the comm-station and pushed himself past the officer assigned to it. "Damn it, Sulu! You said you had a way to disable that ship! You said you had found information in the Klingon databanks to stop her! Sulu?! Answer me, damn you!"

 **XXX XXX**

Major U'hura watched in disbelief as she followed the indicator on the tactical-screen that indicated the torpedo that was moving from the small icon that was the shuttle, towards the larger icon that was the Klothos.

"Hikaru" she whispered, "what have you done?"

 **XXX XXX**

Emelie took her ship straight at the incoming Federation torpedo, adjusted her controls, her dials and her switches, and then, she finally launched Syboks warhead. Within a few seconds, the two torpedoes collided and the tremendous release of energy that was the result created a massive vortex in the middle of space; a rip through space and time, a tear in the very fabric of the universe itself. And Emelie increased velocity and steered straight towards the strange phenomenon.

 **XXX XXX**

Faradal studied his displays. "The Klothos will reach the anomaly in twelve seconds… ten… seven… five…"

Hikaru swallowed. "Save him."

 **XXX XXX**

As the Klothos raced towards the intimidating anomaly that was like a vortex of lightning and shadow, Emelie aimed for its center and closed her eyes, not daring to breathe. And the Bird-of-Prey flew into the vortex and vanished without a trace.


	27. Chapter 27

The IKS Klothos flew straight through the anomaly, heavy lightning bouncing off its hull and leaving scorch-marks in the form of vicious burns. But the Klothos made it through and found itself all on its own; no sign of the IKS HaH'vat or the USS Excalibur or USS Farragut.

Emelie sat silent for a while, just breathing, as she waited to see what would happen. Nothing did happen. Nothing indicated that another ship was in the vicinity or even close proximity of the system. She got out of the pilots seat and hurried over to the station right next to the chair where the dead body of Curzon Dax was still secured and chained in place. Emelie operated the controls of the station and had the ships long range sensors analyze the stars. It only took a moment but it felt like a lifetime, but in the end the sensors had located what she was searching for. A planet in orbit of a distant star. As Emelie saw the klingon glyphs naming the planet, at first she could hardly believe it. Then, her face split in a massive smile.

 _vulqan_.

Vulcan. It was not destroyed. It was right there, where it was supposed to be.

"Sybok, you crazy son of a bitch, you did it… You actually did it" Emelie said aloud, smiling and shaking her head. "Now" she said and glanced at Curzon's body, "we head back to Korvat."

Emelie crossed the bridge to man the helm, but halted as the doors leading to the bridge slid open. She froze and watched in disbelief as a severely wounded and barely alive klingon came stumbling onto the bridge, leaning with one arm against the bulkhead and holding on to his d'k tahg with the other. Kors chest was covered in blood, as was his chin and beard after coughing up mouthfuls of it.

" _SoHvaD yuD nuch… taHqeq… petaQ_ " Kor hissed through his bloodied fangs and then ran towards Emelie with a growl.

Emelie placed another harpoon in Kors chest, but it did not stop the enraged warrior. Kor jumped and slammed into Emelie, sending both crashing up against the pilots station. Kor grabbed the young female by the throat and roared with untamed fury. His dagger struck her face with such force that her head cracked open and blood and brains spilled out onto the pilots controls. Kor howled, ripped his weapon from the dead body of Emelie Marcus-Kirk and pummeled the bloody face with his ridged forehead three times with all the strength he could muster, utterly disfiguring what remained of Emelie's features. Stepping back, Kor watched the body slide down in a heap on the floor. He stood there for a brief moment, then his strength could no longer carry him and he too fell over. As life was finally draining from him, Kor smiled.

" _vIbejDI'-batlh-qor, tagha' Ha' jIH…"_

And the great warrior faded, his last breath leaving his body. No life-signs remained onboard the IKS Klothos.

 **XXX XXX**

The klingon Bird-of-Prey was wierdly damaged, showing signs of taking hits from torpedoes, but also klingon disruptors and Starfleet phasers. And then there were the strange scorch-marks all across the hull. Standing on the bridge of the USS Excelsior, Curzon Dax stood with arms folded over his chest as he watched the damaged klingon vessel up on the main viewscreen.

"Ambassador."

Curzon turned as a blonde human female walked up to her, wearing the red jacket of Starfleet. "Lieutenant Rand?" Curzon said, knowing the female officer well after a week onboard the Excelsior.

"The captain would like that you joined him in sickbay" lieutenant Rand said.

The trill did find it a bit odd. "Right away" Curzon replied nontheless and headed for the turbo-lifts.

Five minutes later, Curzon set foot in the sickbay of the USS Excelsior and there several high-ranking officers stood waiting, all wearing the red jacket of Starfleet, including the ships captain; the famous Hikaru Sulu.

"Well, captain?" Dax said. "How can I help?"

Captain Sulu turned to face the ambassador. "We seem to have stumbled upon something of a mystery, ambassador" he said. "The away-team discovered not only dead members of the klingon crew, but also bodies of romulans and remans."

Curzon Dax nodded at the information. "A klingon Bird-of-Prey does not end up in Federation space for no reason. Especially hours after a peace-summit between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. A romulan presence could indicate a plot to sabotage the talks we've had with the klingons."

Sulu nodded. "Quite so, ambassador. However, that is not the most intrigueing part of this whole mystery." Hikaru then turned to his fellow officers, "Ensign."

Ensign Tuvok took a step forward. "Thank you, captain. Besides klingons, romulans and remans, we found two other bodies onboard, as well as blood-stains of vulcan origin. To be more precise, my blood."

Curzon had trouble connecting the dots. "What? How is that possible?"

"A good question, ambassador" Tuvok said. "Since my crewmembers and the ships computer can testify that I have remained onboard the Excelsior throughout this mission, it is highly remarkable that my blood and my DNA has stained the bridge of a klingon warship. It gets all more confusing after we did a DNA scan on the human we found on the bridge. A young female whom by all accounts is the daughter of the famed molecular biologist Carol Marcus and the infamous Starfleet admiral, James Tiberius Kirk."

"If Kirk had a daughter I would know about it" Sulu cut in. "So who is this woman?" Sulu added as he walked up to a biobed where a body lay, completely covered by a white sheet. "And why was she so violently killed by the klingons?" Sulu sighed heavily. "And now I must tell a friend that his daughter… if that is who she is… is dead. That he has lost two children to the brutality of the klingons." Sulu shook his head and then turned to Curzon, "Is she a clone? A romulan agent? Why was she on a klingon ship?" Eventually, Sulu snapped, "Tell Me!"

Curzon could not grasp why the captain so suddenly aimed his frustration at him. "I don't know, captain. I had no part in this, I assure you."

"Really?" Sulu frowned.

"Ambassador" Tuvok continued, "we believe this woman was a romulan agent whose mission was to sabotage the peace-efforts at Korvat. A substantial security-check was done by lieutenant commanders Gambon and Valtane to verify that I am indeed not a clone or romulan agent. One person remains whom has not been cleared beyond reasonable doubt."

Slowly, it dawned on the trill what was being said, what he was accused of. Curzon looked over his shoulder as liuetenant commander Gambon and three security-officers, with phasers drawn, entered the sickbay. Turning back to face captain Sulu, Curzon Dax slowly raised his hands in an effort to ease the situation.

"Captain… I assure you, I am not a romulan agent."

Hikaru Sulu studied the trill for a brief moment and then nodded. "If so, then who is this?"

Sulu moved over to another biobed and pulled back the sheet, revealing the dead corpse of a trill; a trill looking exactly like Curzon Dax. Curzon could not believe his eyes, his mouth agape as he saw himself dead and covered in blood on the bed.

"I regret to inform" Tuvok cut in, "that the symbiont is also dead."

Curzon shook his head. "What the hell is going on?"

Sulu looked grim. "Who ever you are, ambassador, this will surely end with war with the Romulan Star Empire. The klingons will respond in the only way they know to such treachery, and the Federation will most likely form an alliance with the klingons against a common enemy. There is a good chance that these mysterious bodies will ensure an alliance between the Federation and the klingons. Congratulations, ambassador… your mission to Korvat was a success." Sulu then turned to his chief of security, "Secure the ambassador in the brig until we can verify his identity, or until we hand him over to Starfleet Intelligence."

"Yes, captain" lieutenant commander Gambon said and grabbed Dax by the arm and escorted the trill out of sickbay.

Sulu then turned to his fellow officers. "Get me Starfleet command on subspace… Somehow we need to avoid this war."

"Yes, captain" a lieutenant said and hurried to comply with the orders given.

Augustus Eckenwald, the Excelsiors chief medical officer, stepped over to his captain. "A damned peculiar situation" he said as he glanced at the dead body of Curzon Dax. "What now?" he added and turned his focus back to his commanding officer.

"Now?" Sulu said and sighed. "Now, like Columbus, we set our course for the horizon and see what the future holds."

Eckenwald shook his head with a sigh. "And a dark horizon it is."

 **THE END**

 _So that's that. Not sure if there will be a rewrite to this; I have ideas to do changes here and there, especially when Emelie and Sybok are on the surface of Korvat. But other changes as well, including swapping the special torpedo into being of romulan design instead of klingon. But all in all, this is it, the end of this story, ending with another alternative universe where the klingons and the Federation end up as allies in a war with the romulans. The moral of the story is I suppose that it is never a good idea to time-travel and change things. Hope you enjoyed the read._


End file.
